


For Love, For A Child

by cestlavieminako



Category: Kamen Rider Agito
Genre: Hikawa continues to adore Agito, M/M, egg fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 09:26:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24847516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestlavieminako/pseuds/cestlavieminako
Summary: Hikawa grows even more fond of Agito after that one wonderful time they had together.And then things get wild when he wakes up to mysterious eggs.
Relationships: Hikawa Makoto/Tsugami Shouichi
Comments: 145
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow-up to Your Eyes Only, so do give that a read first! Also hope y'all don't mind if Hikawa is in a constant state of "uwu Agito-san" during this, because, well, he IS.

“Hikawa-kun, are you sure you’re all right?”

“Huh? Of course I am.”

“I still think you should get checked out, just to make sure you’re not hurt…” Hikawa glanced at Ozawa, confusion plain on his face, and she felt that she needed to spell it out a bit more clearly for him. God, he was oblivious sometimes! “You know, from when you and Agito…you know…”

Somehow, she was loathe to say what was on the tip of her tongue, which was “when Agito mounted you in that warehouse and fucked you,” because even though there hadn’t been visual (aside from when she and Omuro had briefly left the trailer to make sure Hikawa was all right, and had seen...well...Agito on top of Hikawa, and it was pretty obvious what they were doing), there had _definitely_ been audio. Audio that couldn’t have been explained as anything else. Audio that she’d needed to quickly delete, lest it fall into the wrong hands. But even if that audio hadn’t existed, when she and Omuro had finally gone outside when things had fallen silent, it had been pretty obvious what had transpired anyway, when they found the G3 armor scattered across the ground, the undersuit hanging off Hikawa’s legs, and, well, there’d definitely been some very telling messes that absolutely confirmed what had happened.

And the incredibly blissed-out, sated smile on Hikawa’s lips, before he’d wound up passing out.

“Oh! There’s no need,” Hikawa said, bringing Ozawa back to the present, before a smile crossed his lips. The look on his face was so… _sappy_. “Agito-san didn’t hurt me. He was very gentle. He treated me like something precious.”

 _Oh god, this is **way** too much information!_ Ozawa thought to herself, taking a sip of her cooling coffee and making a face. She knew Hikawa had been…enthralled, for lack of a better word, with Agito before all of this, but now? Now he would be insufferable. “It still might be a good idea to get looked over…I mean, _is_ Agito even human? I’m starting to think otherwise.”

“Ozawa-san, I’m fine,” Hikawa repeated. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

*

It felt as though Agito sightings were few and far between after that day. Or, rather, they were nonexistent. Hikawa couldn’t help but worry about that, but at the same time, there hadn’t been any new Unknown appearances, so why would Agito show up out of the blue, if there were no enemies to fight? It wasn’t as though he’d simply seek Hikawa out because he wanted to have sex with him again, right?

As much as Hikawa might wish for that to be true, he knew he was being ridiculous. But he couldn’t help wanting to lay eyes on Agito again, just to make sure he was all right. He didn’t know why he was concerned—perhaps it was because of the very frantic way he’d been fighting the last time, before he’d peeled Hikawa out of his armor and blown his mind.

Most of Hikawa’s worried thoughts wound up bringing him right back to his coupling with Agito, and when he was alone, he couldn’t help himself; most times, he’d just close his eyes, remembering all of it vividly. He rarely felt the need to masturbate before that day, but he found himself retreating to his bedroom more frequently now, wrapping his fingers around his shaft as he lost himself in his memories, remembering how it had felt with Agito inside him. Perhaps that was also contributing to his overall good mood and relaxed state of mind.

But he knew he’d relax more if he saw Agito.

Several days later, there was a new Unknown, and Agito appeared to fight it. G3 was dispatched, and Hikawa happily did what he could to assist in the fight. He couldn’t help but wonder if it would be like last time, if Agito would sweep him up in his arms once the Unknown was defeated…

He was so lost in his ridiculous fantasies, that he didn’t see the Unknown’s attack until it was too late, and he was sent flying, hitting a tree hard enough to make him see stars. Focus, he needed to focus on what was happening _now_! Easier said than done, he thought, as the world swirled around him in a rather nauseating manner. He hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself by passing out in front of Agito.

But, unfortunately, that’s what he did.

When he woke up, he was in the hospital, and his back throbbed in pain. Even with the armor, he’d wound up hitting that tree hard enough to bruise, but nothing was broken.

“You’re lucky…that Unknown was looking like it wanted to finish you off, but Agito took care of it,” Ozawa informed him.

Hikawa smiled, closing his eyes.

Agito had protected him. He cared.

*

It took two frustratingly dull days at the hospital before Hikawa was allowed to leave and go back to work, and he was glad to go back to some semblance of normalcy. There had been no new Unknown sightings; the week had been quiet in general, Ozawa informed him.

Perhaps that was a good thing, Hikawa thought. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that he was coming down with something, or he was having a harder time readjusting to work than he would have expected. He’d only been out for a handful of days! He hoped he hadn’t contracted the flu or something while he’d been at the hospital…he didn’t want to wind up being out for a week or longer. His limbs felt heavy, and he nearly nodded off during his lunch break. He gave his cheeks a pat, rising and going to the vending machine for a can of coffee. Maybe he just needed some caffeine.

The rest of the day didn’t seem as bad, and Hikawa figured that he’d simply been caffeine deprived. Or perhaps he just needed a good night’s sleep. He decided to buy himself something good for dinner that night, and just go to bed. The extra sleep would surely set things right.

When he left that night, he did exactly that. He stopped for a bowl of ramen, then went home, drank a bottle of water and changed into his most comfortable pair of pajamas, then crawled into bed.

He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he slept through the entire night.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, he could tell that it was just before sunrise, judging by the light that peeked past his curtains. 

He was also splayed awkwardly across his mattress, and there were two eggs sitting upon his pillow.

Hikawa sat up, his body protesting at the odd way he’d wound up sleeping, but he barely noticed as he leaned closer to the objects on his pillow. They were certainly egg-shaped, but they looked like no eggs he’d ever seen before. They were a deep red, and it almost looked as though they were lit up from the inside.

He was so busy staring at them, that he didn’t notice when they started to crack.

And then, the top halves of the shells were being lifted up by tiny hands, and he found himself looking at the two very small Agitos that emerged.


	2. Chapter 2

Ozawa thought it was odd enough that Hikawa was early that morning, especially since he’d said something the day before about feeling a bit under the weather. But here he was, a full fifteen minutes early, looking positively chipper, and she couldn’t help but glower at him over the rim of her mug of coffee. It was too damn early for chipper.

Then he placed two small Agitos on the desk, and some of that coffee wound up being sprayed across the monitor in front of her, and she set the mug down, looking for something to wipe the mess up with. “Hikawa-kun…what…are _those_?”

“I woke up this morning, and there were these two eggs just sitting on my pillow! They hatched, and these two popped out,” Hikawa explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, hurriedly scooping the one with gold-colored armor up as it got a bit too close to Ozawa’s coffee mug. “No no, little one, that’s not for you."

Ozawa finally located a handful of napkins stuffed in a drawer, and busied herself with cleaning off the monitor, but she was barely paying attention to the task; rather, she couldn’t seem to look away from these tiny little critters on the desk. They looked for all the world like little toys, a little smaller than the superhero plushes that were so popular among children. But they were definitely moving on their own, and Hikawa wasn’t smart enough to come up with something to play a practical joke on her, so…these little Agitos were definitely real. They were cute, she supposed, as she watched Hikawa holding them both in his hands, placing a kiss on each of their heads. “Where…where did they come from?”

Hikawa looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “They were born from the pure love between Agito-san and I, of course.”

“Of…course. Anyway, you probably shouldn’t have them out where everyone can see them. With all of the uncertainty about Agito and the Unknown…it might not be safe. If someone like Houjou sees them, he’d go right to the higher-ups and convince them that we should take these two and dissect them or something equally awful.”

One of the little Agitos made a small alarmed squeak, and dove into the pocket of Hikawa’s suit jacket. The other one, apparently thinking they were playing a game, dove in as well.

“Ozawa-san, you scared them,” Hikawa said, frowning.

Ozawa sighed heavily. “Then they have a little more common sense than you do. Honestly…do you think it’s a good idea, walking around and showing them off like they’re an average human infant? Anything remotely abnormal nowadays is dangerous.” She held up a hand as Hikawa opened his mouth, surely to protest. “I’m not saying _they’re_ dangerous. If they were, they probably would have eaten you after they hatched.”

Hikawa frowned; what she was saying made sense, but he couldn’t help wanting to share his joy with everyone. Or at least with those he trusted. “I wasn’t showing them off to _everyone_ …you’re the only one who has seen them,” he grumbled. “I’m not _that_ stupid. I just…wanted someone else to know, until I can find Agito-san and let him know about them.”

Ozawa leaned back in her seat. At least he seemed to be taking this seriously. She heard tiny sounds coming from Hikawa’s pocket, something like a cross between snoring and clicking sounds; apparently the short romp across the desk had been enough to wear them out.

“I just don’t know much about kids,” Hikawa continued, his hand resting lightly on the pocket where the Agitos slept. “And they’re…unusual. How do I know if they’re healthy? They eat just fine, I gave them some of the bread I grabbed on the way to work, and they seemed to like it.”

“You can’t exactly take them to a doctor,” Ozawa agreed, tapping a finger against the desk. “But someone who has a bit of experience with unnatural phenomena…it couldn’t hurt. Feel like making a trip after work?”

“You know someone?” Hikawa asked.

“I know the man who did a lot of the autopsy work on the Unidentified Lifeforms, so he’s a bit more well-versed in the weird than an average doctor would be,” Ozawa explained, shrugging. “It couldn’t hurt. And he’s trustworthy. He was part of a team that worked with Kuuga.”

*

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tsubaki sighed, as Hikawa drew the Agitos out of his pocket. “There are more of these little critters?”

Hikawa felt his heart sink at Tsubaki’s words. “What do you mean? Have you seen other Agitos?” Surely not…surely Agito-san wasn’t out there just sowing his wild oats with anybody he crossed paths with!

“No, no, not Agitos,” Tsubaki said. “Kuuga and his husband, they have a few little ones like this. The circumstances behind it are unusual…well, the first two made a little more sense than the most recent one, but I guess it all comes down to Riders have different physiology than normal humans. I really don’t know. They insisted on me being their physician, even though I have no earthly idea what I’m looking for.”

Hikawa immediately felt guilty. “I’m sorry…Ozawa-san recommended you, since you’d worked with Kuuga, she thought you’d be more trustworthy than anyone else.”

“I’m surprised she said that. I haven’t seen her in years…and the last time I _did_ see her, she dumped me and called me a few choice names, so I definitely didn’t expect to hear from her again.” Tsubaki shook his head. “I guess I can tell you the same thing I told them when their kids were born. I never felt comfortable doing scans, and I don’t know how different Agito is from Kuuga, but I’m still hesitant. When were they born? Hatched, I’m assuming?”

Hikawa nodded. “Hatched, yes. This morning. I’m not certain of the time…shortly before sunrise, maybe just after?”

Tsubaki nodded, making notes on a chart. “Don’t worry about this, by the way. I have a file for the Kuuga babies that will never see the light of day. I’ll add yours in with it. No one sees it but me. Now…any strange symptoms recently? Illnesses?”

“I felt drained yesterday, starting around lunchtime. I thought I was coming down with the flu,” Hikawa explained.

Tsubaki made another note. “That’s a similarity, at least. My assumption is, when the eggs are ready to…appear, however they do it…they wind up leeching a bit of energy from their host. And I’m assuming you’re feeling fine now, given that you came here from your job? That’s a quicker recovery…interesting. And they’re active and eating?”

Tsubaki glanced up, seeing the gold Agito reaching toward the salad he’d set aside when Hikawa had arrived, and as he and Hikawa watched, they grabbed a piece of cucumber, chomping into it hungrily. “Ok, that’s a yes.”

“I’m sorry,” Hikawa said, quickly scooping up the babies, but not before the blue Agito had made off with a cherry tomato. “You can’t steal other people’s food like that! That’s not nice. You need to apologize to Tsubaki-san.”

Tsubaki watched the little Agitos lower their heads guiltily, tiny hands still holding their pilfered vegetables, and he couldn’t help but smile. “They can be pretty hungry in the beginning, just like an average newborn baby. And it seems that they like vegetables, so that’s helpful. Kuuga’s children love curry. I suppose it varies, depending on the parents and their preferences.”

Hikawa nodded slowly. At least they liked vegetables, so they would be healthy. He’d need to stop by the store before he went home, so he could buy them a variety. He absently wondered if he should just go and ask Tsugami Shouichi for some of his vegetables, since they were all home-grown and looked much better than anything you’d find at the supermarket. But, well, that would be odd, wouldn’t it? He certainly couldn’t tell Tsugami-san what the vegetables were for, and he’d proven in the past that he was hopelessly inept at cooking.

No, for now, he supposed they’d have to make do with supermarket vegetables. And he knew Ozawa-san and Tsubaki-san would keep the existence of the babies secret. He didn’t know Tsugami-san well enough to risk it.

The only other person who needed to know about the babies was Agito-san, and Hikawa didn’t know how to find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsubaki is now the pediatric doctor for any and all Rider babies, I'm sorry, dude.


	3. Chapter 3

Hikawa never claimed he was the most intelligent man in the world, but at least he was able to adjust to things fairly quickly. 

He’d had a talk with the tiny Agito babies one evening, even though he wasn’t completely certain they could understand him. But he told them how they had to stay hidden in his jacket pockets when he was at work, because it wasn’t safe for people to know about them. More than anything, he wanted to keep them safe, and off the radar of anyone who would want to do terrible things to them. He didn’t want to scare them, but he needed to try to impress upon them how serious it was.

He didn’t know if his words had been understood, but after he’d finished speaking, both of the little Agitos had flopped against him, their little arms open wide, as if they were hugging him, or trying to reassure him that they would be good. Or perhaps they had just bellyflopped against him to get comfortable, which was entirely possible, Hikawa realized, as their tiny sleepy clicks reached his ears. He carefully scooped them up and rearranged them on the throw blanket that he usually kept across the back of his couch, but now it was fluffed up on one of the cushions, and the kids usually slept curled up on it. 

He needed to get them something better to use as a bed. And they needed names…but he was foolishly clinging to the hope that Agito-san would show up again, long enough for Hikawa to talk to him and introduce the babies to him. He needed to be there to approve of any names, surely! Hopefully he would be able to come up with something, because names were not Hikawa’s strength.

They absolutely loved their vegetables, though. Ever since the day Hikawa had taken them to see Tsubaki-san, and they’d absconded with bits of his salad, they’d eaten little else. Hikawa didn’t know how they managed to consume so much, with such tiny bodies…but, well, surely they were growing, right? They were babies; they needed plenty of good food and rest.

Once again, Hikawa thought about Tsugami-san and the abundance of vegetables in his garden. He’d wanted to stop by the following day to talk to Mana…would it be strange if, all of a sudden, he asked Tsugami-san for some of the vegetables? He’d offered in the past, but Hikawa had always refused, which had honestly been rather rude on his part. He’d just figured they would have gone to waste, since he didn’t know how to cook very well, and he wasn’t home for very many hours in the day.

He would worry about it when the time came, Hikawa thought, gently running a finger over his children’s heads. Helmets? Whatever they were. They stretched like sleepy cats, but didn’t wake up. Hikawa went around, making sure the door was locked and latched, before switching off the lights and plugging in a nightlight—another new acquisition; he didn’t know how their night vision was, and he didn’t want them to wake up frightened in the dark—before heading to his bedroom and changing into a pair of pajamas, before he climbed into bed.

He wasn’t sure if he believed in any kind of higher being, but still, before he fell asleep, Hikawa sent a quick prayer up that Agito-san would appear soon, so he could find out about his children.

*

Shouichi crouched in front of one of his plants, frowning as he held up one of the ready to harvest tomatoes and took in the oddly-shaped bite mark out of it. “Huh? Now that’s strange…what could have made that? A rabbit?” he wondered aloud.

As he continued along, here and there, he found more tiny bites out of various vegetables. “How weird.”

He was so focused on the bite out of an otherwise perfect cucumber, that he missed something small zoom by just behind him.

*

Hikawa hadn’t been sure when, exactly, the babies had slithered out of his jacket pocket and disappeared. He’d removed his suit jacket since the weather was a bit warm that day, but he’d intentionally kept it beside him on the small sofa so he would be able to see if there were any telltale movements. He’d simply assumed that his chat with the children had gone well, and they were being still and silent so they wouldn’t be detected.

Hikawa had been sitting across from Mana, and Shouichi had made them tea, as he always did, before he headed outside to tend to his garden. It hadn’t been until Mana had begun clearing away the tea cups, that Hikawa had placed a hand on the pocket where the babies had been when he’d arrived, and found it empty. He quickly lifted the garment, checking the other pocket, then the inner ones, just in case he’d been mistaken about where they’d been, or if they were playing tricks on him.

But no, his jacket held little more than his wallet and keys. 

Then he noticed something dart by the sliding door, and his eyes widened.

That had definitely been the little gold-armored Agito.

How had they gotten outside? Were they _both_ out there? Most likely, he thought to himself, getting to his feet and opening the door, hoping to catch at least one of the little scamps before they were discovered. Of course, they had either seen or smelled the fresh vegetables, and would have wanted to sample some. He hadn’t taken that into account. 

He didn’t see Tsugami-san in the garden, which he supposed was a good thing. He couldn’t really explain why he was out here, now could he? Hopefully he could find the kids before…

There!

Hikawa ducked down, trying to grab the blue-armored Agito, who scurried along with a leaf of cabbage fluttering out behind him like a cape, but they were just too speedy, and his fingers closed on air.

Then he saw the gold-armored Agito, dangling several inches off the ground, trying their absolute damndest to pull a whole cucumber off the vine. Hikawa wanted to admire their determination, but that wasn’t what he was out here for. 

He caught the little vegetable thief in his hands, but as he stood up, he realized the plant was following him, because the little Agito was still clinging to that cucumber, arms and legs wrapped around it, making distressed clicking noises the whole time. 

“That’s not yours. You need to let go,” Hikawa said, his voice low but firm. “It’s very naughty to try and steal things like that, and I was worried about both of you!”

Maybe his words really _did_ get through to them, Hikawa thought, as the little gold Agito finally started to release the death grip they’d had on the cucumber. All of the tugging must have weakened the stem, however, and as soon as it snapped free, the little Agito grabbed onto the prize once again, and Hikawa could have sworn that they were grinning in triumph.

“Now, where’s your sibling?” Hikawa murmured. Geez, he was incredibly fortunate to not have been spotted yet!

His gaze swept across the garden, looking for the missing blue Agito, when he noticed Tsugami-san, crouched over by the faucet, his watering can full and overflowing as he watched Hikawa and the gold Agito’s shenanigans, and he bit back a curse. Of _course_ Tsugami-san was still out here, he was a fool to have not paid more attention!

Then they both heard the sound of tiny feet pattering across the ground, and this time, it was Tsugami-san who reached out and scooped up the blue Agito, who had been heading toward the cabbage that had been missing several leaves that had been torn off rather raggedly. “Ah…so it wasn’t rabbits after all,” he said, a small smile on his lips as he got to his feet, finally remembering to shut off the faucet, and stepped over the small puddle that had started to form so he could hand the little Agito to Hikawa.

“I’m very sorry that they made a mess…I’ll be glad to pay for any damages…but you absolutely cannot tell anyone about them,” Hikawa blurted, trying his best to sound apologetic and dead serious all at once. Tsugami-san was…an odd one. Rather flighty. He didn’t know how much he trusted him with such a massive secret.

The blue Agito finished the last shred of cabbage in its hands, while the gold one crunched on the cucumber.

“Here, why don’t we got back inside, so they’re not out in the open? I can cut some veggies up into smaller pieces for them, too. They’ve got to be hungry, if they’re out here taking bites out of everything.”

“See? I told you that wasn’t nice!” Hikawa hissed to the babies, who ignored him in favor of trying to devour the entire cucumber between them.

*

Once he was in the kitchen, Shouichi took his time cutting up several vegetables—including the ones that had those odd bites out of them—for the little Agitos, who sat at the edge of the cutting board, watching him work (and occasionally reaching out and grabbing a slice of whatever was closest, before chomping into it and making it disappear at an incredible speed). 

He looked calm on the outside, but on the inside? Shouichi was nowhere near as composed.

_They’re Agitos. Tiny little baby Agitos. Oh god…I actually **did** have sex with Hikawa-san in that warehouse, didn’t I? I felt so off that day, I thought it was all a really vivid wet dream! But there’s no other explanation for this! Why else would he have them? How can I ask? He doesn’t even know that I’m Agito!_

By the time Shouichi had finished chopping, he noticed that there was far less on the cutting board than he’d started out with, and the babies definitely had rounder stomachs than before, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You must have been ravenous…isn’t your papa feeding you?”

“Of course I am,” Hikawa huffed, coming into the kitchen. “But they really seem to love vegetables…it’s the only thing they go nuts for.”

“I’ll have to send you home with some extras, then,” Shouichi offered. “Maybe it’s none of my business, but…how did you…?”

“They were born from the pure love between Agito-san and I,” Hikawa stated.

Mana began to come into the room, but her eyes widened when she heard Hikawa’s words, and she quickly turned and left. 

Shouichi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Hikawa’s words. That was…quite a dramatic statement. But if he knew that he was standing in front of Agito? That Shouichi himself was Agito? Would he still feel the same way? He highly doubted it; Hikawa-san definitely had some kind of hero complex regarding Agito, and Shouichi was definitely not anyone’s first guess as to his identity. Agito was cool and competent, and Shouichi was…

He glanced down at himself, in his ever-present apron and he sighed quietly. He was just Shouichi.

“Are you all right?” Hikawa asked.

Shouichi nodded, trying to manage a smile. “I’m just a little envious, I guess. You’ve got a little family now.”

Now it was Hikawa’s turn to sigh. “It’ll be better if I can talk to Agito-san…he needs to know about them, too.”

Shouichi felt his vision starting to blur, and he hoped he wouldn’t burst into tears, because that would just be too hard to explain. “Well…let me gather up some more veggies for the little ones. It’s getting late, and they look sleepy.”

As soon as they heard the word ‘veggies’, the little Agitos perked right up, and Shouichi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hmm…do you two want to come with me and tell me what you want to bring home?”

Hikawa didn’t even have a chance to protest, before the babies jumped up and down in excitement, then dove into Shouichi’s apron pockets. “Well…it’s fine, as long as they stay in your pockets…”

Shouiochi nodded, grabbing up a canvas shopping bag. “Don’t worry, papa-san, they’re in good hands.”

Hikawa wasn’t exactly sure why he felt his face flush from Shouichi’s words, but he didn’t have any time to think about it before Shouichi was heading out to the garden once again.

*

Once Shouichi was outside, he let out a long sigh.

_Papa sad?_

Shouichi paused before his tomato plants, a small smile on his lips as he heard one of the little Agitos questioning thought.

_Papa come home with us?_

“I wish I could, little one,” Shouichi murmured, silently asking them if they wanted tomatoes, plucking several from the vine at the excited response he heard in his mind. He hadn’t even known he could _do_ that until now. “Until I can be with you all the time…be good for Hikawa-san, ok? Is he good to you?” He heard more affirmative thoughts, and they felt…warm, somehow. Safe. 

Yes, Hikawa-san would be good to them, wouldn’t he? He wasn’t cruel. He was a little clumsy, and maybe a bit brash, but he seemed to be a good man. He had to be, if Agito had chosen him for this.

Shouichi flushed again as he continued to fill the bag with vegetables. He’d had no idea that what had happened had been _real_. All this time, he’d been thinking of it as a very vivid dream—god, how many times had he jerked off to it? But it had been real, and he had _children_ now, children that he couldn’t even be with, not unless he revealed his identity to Hikawa, and depending on how he took that, he might never seen the children again. But he saw Hikawa-san pretty often…and he surely wouldn’t leave the children alone while he was at work. 

He shook his head. Things would work out, somehow.

The babies peered out of the top of Shouichi’s pockets, and he smiled, leaning down to kiss the tops of their heads. “Better duck back down, so Hikawa-san won’t get upset. Don’t be sad…we’ll see each other again. I promise.”

There was another wave of warm, soft thoughts, and before Shouichi had finished collecting the vegetables, they’d dozed off.

He headed back inside, transferring the babies to the pockets of Hikawa’s suit jacket, and gave him the bag of vegetables. “Any time you need more, just come by. It’s no problem, there’s plenty! And the peppers should be coming in pretty soon.”

Shouichi and Mana both saw Hikawa off, and once he’d gotten in his car and driven off, Mana turned to Shouichi. “Those little Agitos are yours, aren’t they?”

Shouichi nodded. “Seems like it.”

“And Hikawa-san doesn’t know?” She sighed. “That seems so cruel to the little ones.” Abruptly, she grabbed his shoulders. “You need to make HIkawa-san fall in love with you.”

A surprised laugh left Shouichi’s lips. “I don’t think it’s that easy, not when he’s so hung up on Agito. I don’t have anything to offer him. I don’t even know who I am.” He shook his head. “Anyway, it’s time for me to start making dinner!”

But the entire time he was doing food prep, he couldn’t stop thinking about the little Agitos watching him chop the vegetables, and how warm they’d felt, nestled in his apron pockets. That wave of warmth and love they’d sent his way.

It was only the onions that were making his eyes tear up, he told himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, guys, we have a spicy chapter here! >:3c

Several Agito-less days passed, but Hikawa found himself too busy to dwell on it very much. 

After their one day of mischief in Tsugami-san’s garden, the babies were behaving much better. They stayed in Hikawa’s jacket pockets when he was working, and they made sure to keep still and quiet if anyone else was around. The one exception was one afternoon when the gold Agito hissed at Houjou as he passed by. Hikawa was barely able to keep from laughing as the other man stopped in his tracks, looking around in confusion for the source of the sound. Hikawa had been taking a phone call at the time, so he hadn’t been accused of it. 

He had to tell Ozawa-san about that when he saw her next. He knew she would appreciate it. 

As soon as he ended his call, his phone rang again, and it was Ozawa informing him that there’d been an Unknown sighting, and G3-X was being dispatched. Hikawa couldn’t help the way that his heart leapt at the words; if there was an Unknown on the loose, then surely Agito-san would be there to fight it!

That thought ran through his mind as he raced down the hall.

*

Ozawa didn’t mind keeping an eye on Hikawa’s kids while he went out to fight. They were small enough, and pretty well-behaved, especially if she slipped them a few snacks (she kept a few containers of salad in the small fridge in the G-Trailer, after Hikawa had told her how much they enjoyed vegetables). They even had their own place to sit—a rather cute little basket that Hikawa had gotten for them, and lined with one of his shirts so it would be comfortable for them, plus it would smell familiar to them and hopefully keep them calm.

He was surprisingly into his new role as a dad, and Ozawa supposed he was doing well at it. He seemed a bit more serious now, too. It was quite a change.

She was fairly certain that Omuro didn’t know what to think of the babies, but Ozawa had threatened him with bodily harm if he so much as mentioned them to anyone else. Then she’d offered to take him out for yakiniku if he kept the secret. Perhaps it was a combination of the two, but Omuro hadn’t said a word so far, and Ozawa and Hikawa were both thankful for that.

Hikawa was suited up, and Ozawa held the helmet up so it could latch onto his head. Before he deployed, he went over to the basket, carefully patting each of the babies with one gloved finger. They chittered excitedly, the gold Agito jumping up and stuffing a piece of broccoli into her mouth, freeing her hands so she could clap.

It was odd, Hikawa thought…lately, he’d been thinking of the gold one as a girl, and the blue one as a boy. How would he know that? Did they even _have_ genders? Yet again, he wished that Agito-san was around to talk to; perhaps he knew more about these things than Hikawa did. 

“I’ll be back soon,” Hikawa said, patting each baby once again, and then he was off.

*

When Hikawa arrived and saw Agito fighting the Unknown…he would have been lying if he’d said he hadn’t felt a wave of relief wash over him. He rushed into battle, determined to help Agito-san, wanting to defeat the Unknown as quickly as possible. Agito-san was _here_ , so close, he would definitely be able to talk to him today!

It felt as though the battle took hours—the Unknown was tough, and Hikawa got knocked around a bit, but he definitely landed a few hits that gave Agito the opportunity to rush in and attack.

Finally, the Unknown was defeated, and Hikawa wanted to collapse so he could catch his breath, but he didn’t dare, not when Agito-san was right there! He could reach out and touch him if he wanted to. And god, did he want to. But his needs weren't important today.

“Agito-san…I need to talk to you,” Hikawa said, unlatching his helmet and removing it so he could cool down a bit. He needed to explain everything. His babies needed their other father. 

But Hikawa abruptly forgot how to speak when Agito took one step closer, then another, and then his fingers were running across his cheek so gently. Hikawa’s eyes fluttered closed, and he leaned into the touch. He couldn’t help himself.

Agito-san _did_ care for him, didn’t he?

“Agito-san, I…”

He felt Agito’s hands move to his armor, undoing the latches that held it onto his body, and he sucked in a breath. God, he wanted this, wanted this so badly, but he still needed to tell Agito-san about the babies! He couldn’t be distracted, even though Agito’s fingers sliding beneath his chest plate was very distracting indeed.

“A-Agito-san…”

The chest plate fell to the ground with a soft clunk, and Hikawa felt Agito’s hands moving to the armor on his arms and hands, slowly unfastening them until they, too, fell to the ground.

“Last time…when we were together…”

Agito made that strange purring sound that Hikawa remembered from last time, and he whimpered softly, feeling Agito’s hands removing his belt, letting it fall from his body.

“After that…I…”

Agito’s hands moved to Hikawa’s thighs, continuing to remove his armor, and he couldn’t help but whimper softly, watching Agito kneel before him to remove the last pieces, until he was only clad in the undersuit and boots.

“Agito-san, we have…”

The sound of the G-Trailer’s sirens broke the silence, coming closer, and Hikawa heard a huff come from Agito.

Then he was being lifted in Agito’s arms, and he could do nothing but cling to him as Agito raced into the woods, any sounds of civilization quickly fading as they went deeper into the foliage.

Then Agito stopped abruptly, placing Hikawa on his feet, and he couldn’t help but wish that Agito could kiss him. 

_Concentrate, you idiot! You still haven’t told him!_

He hadn’t. He’d tried so hard while Agito had stripped the G3-X armor off his body, but honestly, who could concentrate during something like _that_? And now, he could feel Agito’s cock, slippery between their bodies, pressing against him, and he couldn’t think of anything beyond that.

Hikawa slid down to his knees, wrapping his fingers around Agito’s length, hearing that purring sound once again. He seemed even larger than before, Hikawa realized. Was he losing his mind? Or was it due to the different form he’d taken this time? The armor made him seem even more muscular…was it really armor? Or part of his actual body? 

Hikawa suddenly found that he didn’t care.

He leaned closer, tentatively running his tongue over the head of Agito’s shaft, and he heard what sounded like a moan come from Agito, trailing off into that same purring sound that he’d made whenever he was happy.

There was absolutely no way he could take the entire thing into his mouth, but he'd do what he could for Agito-san.

He continued to run his hand along Agito’s length as best he could, feeling it grow more slippery with every touch, and he ran his tongue along it, from base to tip, feeling him stiffening further beneath his clumsy ministrations. Every so often, Agito would give himself a few pumps, before letting Hikawa continue. 

It wasn’t until he watched Agito’s hand, slick with the strange lubricant that he seemed to produce on his own, move behind himself, another soft moan-purr coming from him, that Hikawa realized what he was doing.

He was prepping himself.

But why? Wasn’t he planning to..?

Agito coaxed Hikawa onto his back, his fingers moving to the zipper on the undersuit and drawing it slowly downward, and Hikawa heard an embarrassingly needy whimper escape his lips. He pushed the sleeves off, allowing Agito to pull the garment nearly off his body.

_Yes!_

Then Agito was straddling his lap, and Hikawa felt his cock sinking into the tight heat of his body, and a surprised moan left his lips.

He hadn’t expected _this_!

Agito sank down surprisingly fast onto his shaft, and Hikawa prayed he wouldn’t cum before things had really started, but…god, Agito-san felt so wonderful around him.

Agito began to move then, riding him more aggressively than Hikawa would have expected, and he found himself reaching up to grasp Agito’s hips, unable to keep himself from groaning in absolute pleasure every time his cock sank fully into Agito’s body. And Agito wasn’t silent either; frantic moans, more like growls, echoed every time Agito sank down onto Hikawa's cock.

Agito’s pace quickened steadily, and it seemed far too soon that Hikawa was throwing his head back, crying out in pleasure as he came.

Then his shaft slid from Agito’s body, and he found himself being gathered up in Agito’s arms, Agito’s eager fingers slipping into his body and working him open, and Hikawa couldn’t help but grind against Agito. Yes, god, he needed him so badly, needed him inside him _now_..!

He felt the head of Agito’s cock beginning to work its way into his body, and he gasped as he felt himself being stretched open. He felt Agito getting to his feet, holding Hikawa as if he weighed nothing, rocking shallowly against him. There was no way he would be able to take much more than this, but god, it felt so _good_ to have Agito-san inside him again! He buried his head in Agito’s shoulder, moaning loudly as he slid just a bit further into him.

“So good, so good, Agito-san..!”

Then Agito froze, and Hikawa lifted his head, confused as to why he’d suddenly stopped. Then he realized he was hearing someone calling his name, the sounds of someone noisily making their way through the foliage.

Agito drew out of Hikawa’s body, and he whined softly at the loss of contact. No, he couldn’t go! Not now! Why couldn’t they simply go deeper into the forest? He didn’t want this to be over!

Agito placed Hikawa on his feet, then leaned in close, his head brushing against Hikawa’s neck, almost as if he were trying to kiss him. His fingers trailed up Hikawa’s spine, and he shivered from the contact.

“Don’t go…” Hikawa finally managed, but it was too late. He was quite alone. Not for much longer, though, if the sounds of crunching leaves and snapping sticks growing ever closer meant anything.

Hikawa pulled the undersuit up, zipping it with shaky fingers, before he sank to the ground.

He still hadn’t told Agito-san about the babies.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, damn, I keep dropping my spices everywhere! >:3c

Hikawa was—once again—insufferable, after Agito had carried him off and vanished into the woods. Ozawa had suspected what was going on; how could she _not_ , after the previous time? At least they weren’t going at it right outside of the G-Trailer again. 

But, well, it was her duty to make sure that everyone in the unit was safe.

So she’d sent Omuro out to find Hikawa. He was loud and clumsy, and surely if Hikawa and Agito were…occupied…they would still hear him approaching, and that would hopefully halt any further amorous situations. 

If not…well, she’d probably hear Omuro’s shrieks from where the trailer was parked. It would all work out. He and Hikawa could retrieve the scattered G3-X armor when they returned. Agito certainly seemed to have a thing for peeling the armor off Hikawa, and Ozawa was silently thankful that he didn’t just toss it around. If she’d had to do repairs to it every time Hikawa went off on one of his romps, surely there would be questions from higher up. It was bad enough that she’d had to repair the undersuit after the first time. Hopefully it would escape intact this time around. 

More than anything, she hadn’t wanted to leave Hikawa’s kids with Omuro, fearing that he’d somehow leave the door ajar and the kids would take it upon themselves to go outside and try to track down their father. Fathers, since Agito was out there now as well. And despite Hikawa constantly singing Agito’s praises, Ozawa couldn’t help but worry. What if Agitos were a species where the father would try to attack their children? They didn’t know enough about Agito, and the last thing she’d wanted was to see Hikawa distressed, if anything were to happen to the kids. They were well-behaved and cute, and she’d already referred to herself as Aunt Ozawa at least once. The gold one had apparently hissed at Houjou, and that alone had made her love them.

She’d been lost in thought so long, that it had come as a surprise when the door opened, and Omuro escorted Hikawa into the trailer. Ozawa needed to take only one look at him, and she sighed heavily. “Again? There’s a leaf in your hair, by the way.” At least he’d had the decency to look embarrassed as he reached up, fingers running through his hair until he’d located the stray leaf. “Did you tell him, at least?”

“I tried to, Ozawa-san, I really did! But…but when I started talking, he started taking the armor off, and I just…”

“Got too horny to think?” Ozawa had suggested. 

“Yes. No!” Hikawa had huffed quietly, frowning as he’d twirled the leaf’s stem between his fingers. “I want to tell him, believe me. He should be able to meet his children. But…I couldn’t just ignore him. I wanted it, too.” He’d trailed off with a sigh. “I love him.” 

*

Days passed, and Hikawa couldn’t help but monitor his health, trying to remember how many days it had been after the first time he and Agito had been together, before the eggs had appeared. He felt fine…and besides, they hadn’t had enough time for Agito to ejaculate, so the chances of any new eggs appearing seemed fairly low. 

It was probably for the best, he thought to himself; he was only one man, and two children were enough. Unless he and Agito were properly together. But how would that even work? He somehow couldn’t picture Agito bustling around the apartment, wearing an apron and giving Hikawa a bento before he headed off to work.

He frowned at that particular mental image. It was odd, to say the least. It made him think a bit of Tsugami-san and his ever present apron, always fluttering around like a housewife in training. That was about as far away from Agito as Hikawa could possibly imagine. It was getting late…maybe that explained his strange thoughts.

The babies had happily munched on their dinner, and Hikawa made a note to stop and get some more vegetables from Tsugami-san within the next few days. He _had_ offered, after all, and there were only a few stray veggies left. The way the babies ate, those wouldn’t last long. He gave them impromptu showers in his kitchen sink, using the sprayer and a low stream of water to give them a quick rinse (he’d been using a spare bar of his own soap to wash them, assuming that if it were safe for humans, it should be just fine for little Agitos. There’d been no complaints or issues yet, thankfully), before drying them off with a tea towel. He chuckled softly as the blue one rolled up in the towel afterward, wriggling around like a worm.

They still needed names, he thought to himself, but he hadn’t had a single idea that sounded good. He absently thought back to the dog his family had gotten when he was a child, that had been given the unfortunate name of Clothespin by a 5 year old Hikawa. No, he definitely needed some help with names for the babies. They deserved good names, preferably chosen by both of their parents. 

Hikawa tucked them into bed afterward. He’d felt that a throw blanket wasn’t enough for them; they needed an actual bed. Or at least something more comfortable. So he’d gone out shopping one night when he’d gotten out of work at a decent hour, and had gotten a larger version of the basket that sat in the G-Trailer. It was big enough for them, with some room to spare, and was lined with soft, plush fabric. He’d found a blanket that was most likely made for a child’s doll carriage, and added that, so they wouldn’t catch a chill when the temperatures dipped down. They’d been delighted with the new acquisition, and Hikawa breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He truly wanted the best for them, and giving them a safe, comfortable place to sleep was very important, just as important as giving them healthy meals. 

He sat with them for a bit, tickling their little tummies, until they started to drift off, each of them holding onto one of his fingers. When their breathing had settled into their steady click-snores, he gently tugged his fingers from their grasps, tucking the little blanket carefully around them, before leaning down to kiss them both. He did his usual nightly rounds, checking the locks on the door and plugging in the nightlight, but he still felt restless. He needed to get to bed soon; it would be morning before he knew it. He didn’t feel like tea, but a hot shower sounded rather appealing. It was a chilly evening, and the cold seemed to have sunk into his bones, even though he hadn’t been outside that long after he’d left work. He absently wondered if he could find coats and hats small enough for baby Agitos…

He padded out of the living room and into the bathroom, starting the shower and adjusting the water until it was nice and toasty. He happily shed his clothing and stepped beneath the spray, sighing in contentment as the water ran over his skin and chased away the lingering chill. 

But even so, he still felt a bit antsy. Why?

He took his time lathering up, rinsing off the shampoo and soap when he was through, and then for whatever reason, he found his thoughts drifting back to that day in the woods. 

His hand drifted down to his shaft, and he exhaled shakily as he gave himself a few tentative strokes, recalling how gently Agito had touched his face, how carefully he’d removed Hikawa’s armor. His hips bucked into his hand, remembering how it had felt when he’d sunk into Agito’s body, a soft whimper leaving his lips. He leaned against the wall, remembering how Agito had so carefully begun to work his cock into him, and he absently wished he had a toy, so he could try to recreate that sensation. 

Then his mind drifted, and Hikawa lost himself in this new fantasy, where Agito set him down on the ground, on hands and knees, and then his cock was pushing inside him, filling him completely. Hikawa’s lips parted with a soft moan as Agito began to move, slowly at first, but his pace quickened after hardly any time had passed. He must have changed forms, Hikawa thought absently; it felt closer to the first time Agito had claimed him, but he was able to take his entire shaft this time. 

Hands slid up Hikawa’s bare chest, fingertips skirting across his nipples before plucking and tugging at them, and he whimpered from the touch. It felt so good, everything Agito-san did felt so _amazing_..!

One hand continued up Hikawa’s chest, tracing along his jaw, before fingers delved into his mouth, and he eagerly sucked on the digits, his tongue running along them, feeling Agito’s pace quicken, his other hand moving down to wrap around Hikawa’s length and begin to pump him. The fingers withdrew from Hikawa’s mouth, and even through his lust-addled thoughts, he realized that they didn’t look like Agito’s fingers. Rather, they looked just as human as his own.

He tried to turn, to see who this was, but then Agito—was it really Agito-san?—hit something inside him that had his voice rising in pleasure, and he heard a voice whisper “Hikawa-san” before a cry of completion echoed in his ears.

Tsugami-san..?

Hikawa’s body shuddered as he came, and he was suddenly back in his shower, panting, feeling as though the wall were the only thing keeping him upright.

What…what had just happened..?

The water was beginning to feel uncomfortable on his skin, so he reached out and shut it off, but didn’t move to exit the shower.

He’d been fantasizing about Agito-san…and then…it had been Tsugami-san that he’d been having sex with at the end. And god, he’d cum so hard from it, even after he’d realized it wasn’t Agito.

It made no sense.

Hikawa eventually managed to push himself out of the shower, drying off in a rather robotic manner as he continued trying to puzzle this mystery out, but the post-orgasm haze was threatening to drag him into slumber, and he pulled on his pajamas and climbed into bed before he finally gave in.

*

Shouichi laid in his bed, the back of his hand still pressed firmly against his mouth, his released splattered over his stomach as he struggled to remember how to breathe properly.

That…that had been…god, that had been what he’d _wanted_ to do, when he’d been with Hikawa-san this past time. He’d felt as though there were an odd, frantic haze over everything, and he didn’t quite understand _why_ , but he was lucid enough to have chosen Hikawa. And Agito approved of the choice for his mate. 

And Hikawa-san had children now. Two perfect, tiny little Agitos, that were half his. He dimly recalled Hikawa-san trying to say something, when Agito had been busy taking his armor off. But that urge to mate, to claim him again, had been so strong, and then Hikawa-san’s companions had come looking for him.

Hikawa-san had tried to take him, even though Burning Form was…considerably larger than his other forms. And Shouichi had fought to keep from simply thrusting into him, which would have surely hurt or even killed him. He’d been on the cusp of dropping his transformation and doing exactly what he’d just fantasized. He’d wanted to take Hikawa-san then, as himself. He wanted to hear _his_ name come from Hikawa-san’s lips. He wanted to make Hikawa-san feel good, make him cum.

He wanted Hikawa-san to look at him, to _see_ him. 

Shouichi exhaled shakily, wiping at his eyes, before he finally managed to rise from the bed, and he hurried to the bathroom, wanting to wipe away the traces of his release. He splashed water on his face, and tried to push back these feelings that were bubbling up. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to sleep now.

As he opened the bathroom door, he nearly yelped in surprise when he saw Mana standing outside, her hand raised as if she were about to knock. “Ah…sorry to make you wait,” he said, stepping out of the room.

“Are you all right? I thought I heard a sound, and then I heard you get up. Are you still not feeling well?” Mana asked, keeping her voice low. “I don’t think you’ve gotten sick once since you starting living with us.”

_Was_ he still not feeling well? He wasn’t even sure, at this point. “Well…I guess we’ll see how I feel in the morning. Maybe it’s just from the sudden temperature change,” he finally said. “Sorry to have woken you, Mana-chan.”

She watched him walk back to his bedroom and close the door quietly behind himself, and she frowned. 

Something was definitely up.


	6. Chapter 6

It wound up being a few more days before Hikawa was able to find time to visit Shouichi again, and he’d hoped nothing would come up to deter him that day. The bag of vegetables was now empty, and laying on the back seat of his car, the babies having split the last cucumber and tomato that morning. The feast had filled their little tummies and kept them in a sated food snooze for most of the morning, but Hikawa knew he needed to stock up again before he went home that night. Worst case scenario, he’d have to make do with vegetables from the grocery store, but everything from Shouichi’s garden put any store-bought produce to shame.

Plus, the babies seemed to like him. Or maybe they simply liked him for the vegetables. Hikawa wasn’t sure, and it wasn’t as if they had suddenly started talking.

Luckily, Hikawa was able to leave work on time, and once again, he hoped that Shouichi hadn’t had time to rethink his offer of free vegetables for the babies. He didn’t want to seem needy; he just wanted the best for his children.

And Shouichi _had_ offered, after all.

Hikawa hesitated in his car. He hoped he wouldn’t wind up acting awkward around Tsugami-san, after that strange fantasy he’d had. He still couldn’t puzzle out why his mind had suddenly gone from Agito to Tsugami-san—and, more importantly, why the revelation had made him cum so hard. The human mind was a mystery, he supposed.

He grabbed the bag, then patted his pockets gently, making certain both of the babies were present. “Remember, be on your best behavior this time. No more jaunts through Tsugami-san’s garden. He’ll share the vegetables with you, so be patient, ok?”

Hopefully they’d listen this time.

He stepped up to the gate and caught a glimpse of someone moving around the garden. “Excuse me…Tsugami-san?”

After a moment, Shouichi’s head popped up past several tall plants, and he looked a bit surprised. “Eh? Hikawa-san? Is something wrong?”

“Oh…no. I just…you offered last time to give the kids more vegetables, and we just ran out today…” Hikawa said, holding up the empty bag. “If it’s a bad time…”

“No no, it’s fine! Just a moment…” Shouichi called, then vanished into the plants again, and Hikawa swore he heard him whispering. Was he talking to the plants? No one else was out here, that he could tell…and wasn’t that supposed to be good for plants, anyway? Maybe that was his secret. 

Hikawa had been so lost in thought, that he jumped slightly when Shouichi finally came over and unlocked the gate, letting him in. “Sorry for the wait…just needed to move my gardening tools out of the way. Don’t want anyone getting hurt if they wind up stepping on a rake! Or is that just a thing that happens in cartoons..?”

Hikawa frowned. Tsugami-san was acting a bit strange. Or stranger than usual, at least. Had he gotten too much sun?

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt the babies wriggling around in his pockets, before their heads poked out, making excited chittering noises.

And then Hikawa saw two more little Agitos pop out of Shouichi's apron pockets, and his eyes widened. One looked like the form Agito had been in, when they’d last crossed paths. And the other, inexplicably enough, looked like a tiny G3.

All of the babies chittered excitedly, their little arms waving about as they saw one another, looking as if they were about to start climbing out of various pockets.

“Um…why don’t we go inside, before these guys hurt themselves trying to get to one another,” Shouichi finally said. Hikawa nodded mutely, and he led the way inside, sighing quietly to himself. 

_I didn’t want him to find out like this…_

*

Shouichi nearly dropped the teacup he’d been about to place on the table. “What?”

“Where did these children come from?” Hikawa demanded again. “Did…did you and Agito-san..?”

“He can’t be serious,” Shouichi thought, his gaze drifting over to the tiny G3, who’d plopped down as close to Hikawa as he could manage, while chomping on a slice of apple. It was incredibly obvious, wasn’t it? Agito had been in Burning Form when he’d…when they’d…Shouichi busied himself with the tea things so Hikawa hopefully wouldn’t notice his burning cheeks. And the G3 baby! What other possibly explanation could there _be_ , without Shouichi just outright declaring that he was Agito?

_God, he’s really just **that** dumb, isn’t he?_

“I can’t believe it…” Hikawa murmured, leaning back in his seat, looking as distraught as Shouichi had ever seen him. “I thought that Agito-san cared for me…”

The little G3 popped the rest of his apple slice into his mouth, before standing up and placing his little hands on Hikawa’s leg, with a series of sad-sounding clicks.

Hikawa looked at the little G3, finally managing a small smile and patted his head. “You’re sweet. Thank you.”

If the Agito babies could smile, the little G3 would have been beaming.

Shouichi watching the little Burning Form snap a cucumber in half, handing one half to each of Hikawa’s babies, who chittered in thanks before taking giant bites of their treats. “Have you named them yet?”

Hikawa glanced at him. “Huh? No…not yet. I’d wanted to choose their names with Agito-san, but…”

“They can’t just _not_ have names! What do you call them, then? Gold and Blue?” When Hikawa didn’t reply, Shouichi sighed. “You should name them. I’m sure Agito would approve of whatever you call them, because they’re names you chose, right?”

“I…suppose,” Hikawa finally said, watching little Burning Form pick up the gold Agito and lift her up above his head, making her shriek in delight. “Did you name yours?” He really didn’t want to pursue the ‘how’ of these two new babies at the moment. It hurt too much to think that Agito-san had been with anyone else, when Hikawa had foolishly thought that he cared for him alone. That Hikawa was _special_ to him.

“Well…” Shouichi handed the little G3 another apple slice. “This is Mako. He loves his apples. Ah, no no, careful! Watch out for the tea, it’s very hot!” Shouichi suddenly warned the little Burning Form, who was engaged in a very tiny arm wrestling match with the blue Agito. “And this is Yuuto, since he’s fairly strong.”

Hikawa couldn’t help but smile, and Shouichi somehow wasn’t surprised that Mako’s name had completely flown over his head. _It’s short for Makoto. Does…he really not get it..?_

“I’m not really good with names,” Hikawa finally admitted. “But you’re right…I can’t just wait until I see Agito-san again, before I name them.”

Maybe he was seeing things, but Shouichi could have sworn that Hikawa was blushing.

“If you don’t mind…I mean, you picked good names for these two. Would you..?”

Shouichi smiled. Hikawa might not realize it, but asking that, he truly _was_ having Agito help him name these two babies. “I’m sure I can help you come up with something.” 

He seated himself on the floor so he was a bit closer to eye level with the babies, and the gold Agito ran over and hopped in his apron pocket, poking her head out after a moment. “Do you like the name Yukina?”

To Hikawa’s surprise, the gold Agito clapped in delight, and when Shouichi scooped her out of his pocket, she patted his face. “I think she does like it. That’s a pretty name.”

“I’m not sure why, but it just popped into my head,” Shouichi explained, trailing off for a moment, as if pondering his brain’s odd way of working. It was as though something were at the forefront of his memory, just waiting to be remembered, but it was still just slightly out of reach. When he couldn’t puzzle it out, he set Yukina down, and she made a beeline for the plate of veggies Shouichi had sliced for them, grabbing a piece of cucumber.

The blue Agito sat down on the table in front of Shouichi, and he patted his head gently. “Hmm…as for you, little fella…you look like a Shouma to me.”

The blue Agito jumped up, wobbling on his feet for a moment, before grabbing Shouichi’s hand and hugging it, and he glanced at Hikawa. _That can’t be any more obvious, it’s a combination of both of our names…_

“Seems as though he likes it,” Hikawa said, smiling fondly. “You’re good at this.”

Shouichi wasn’t surprised that everything was soaring right over Hikawa’s head, like the world's largest and most obvious airplane. He was looking at everything through very heavily tinted glasses, where all he could see was this ideal of Agito that he’d painted in his mind. Of course Shouichi wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar, he though, unable to keep from feeling sad. He heard an inquisitive sound in his mind from Shouma, and he shook his head slightly.

“So…are you ok with both of those names?” Shouichi finally asked.

Hikawa nodded. “I don’t think it’s really much up to me. They both seem to really like the names, and that’s what matters, don’t you think?”

Yukina and Shouma both chittered loudly, and both Shouichi and Hikawa couldn’t help but chuckle at their reactions. Their eyes met for a moment over the chaos of rambunctious babies on the low table, and in that moment, they both seemed to be thinking back on their odd fantasies several days prior, and they quickly looked away, hoping that the other wouldn’t notice or question the sudden rosy flushes on their cheeks.

Eventually, Mako finished his snack, and decided to curl up on Hikawa’s lap for a snooze. The others thought this looked like a wonderful idea, and before Hikawa knew it, he had a lapful of little Agitos (and one G3) who had worn themselves out with too much excitement and probably too many veggies. It wasn’t the first time Yukina and Shouma had napped on him, and Mako and Yuuto weren’t his, but somehow, it felt…nice, having all of the kids there. His heart felt oddly full.

“Well…since it looks like you can’t really move for the moment, I’ll go out and refill your bag,” Shouichi offered, his voice low so he wouldn’t disturb the napping children.

For some reason, Shouichi’s lowered voice made him think of that odd fantasy again, and Hikawa was beginning to doubt his sanity. Why was he thinking about that so much? He nodded absently, murmuring thanks, even as he carefully moved Yuuto so he wouldn’t go rolling onto the floor.

It really was odd, how Yuuto had the same form that Agito had been in, the last time Hikawa had seen him. And Mako…well, he was certainly a little enigma, wasn’t he? Why in the world was there a tiny little G3? Ozawa-san would probably love to hear about him, Hikawa thought. 

Perhaps, if all of Hikawa Makoto’s braincells were doing their job, he might have been able to take the evidence and assemble it, like the world’s easiest puzzle, and the answer would be perfectly clear. 

But not today.

Shouichi came back after a while, the bag filled to the brim with vegetables for Yukina and Shouma, and he told Hikawa again that he was welcome to come back for more. Zucchini was the next thing he’d planned on planting, and he was waiting for mushrooms to grow.

As soon as he heard the word ‘mushrooms’, Yuuto sat up straight, looking around, chittering in confusion when he didn’t see any of the mentioned items. The other babies were roused by his movements and chittering, and Yukina and Shouma opted to simply slide into Hikawa’s jacket pockets so they could continue their nap.

Mako, on the other hand, seemed to sense that Hikawa was about to leave, and he clung to his hand, a variety of distressed clicks coming from him.

“It’s ok, Mako-chan, Hikawa-san will come back soon,” Shouichi murmured, rubbing his back, but Mako refused to let go.

_Mako wants papa to stay!_

_I know you do, sweetie…_ Shouichi thought. It was convenient how he could communicate with all of the babies like this, and he wished Hikawa-san could hear them, too. Maybe if he could, he wouldn’t want to leave like this. Shouichi wouldn’t mind if he stayed…but, well, that might look strange, wouldn’t it? He didn’t exactly have his own place to live, after all. 

As much as he might like to have Hikawa stay, he doubted it would be possible, until the day that he found out that Shouichi himself was Agito. And at that time…who knew what would happen. 

“He sure likes me,” Hikawa murmured, patting Mako’s head, feeling him nuzzle his hand. “Maybe because we’re both G3s.”

“Maybe,” Shouichi agreed, sighing in relief when Mako finally released his grip on Hikawa’s hand. The little G3 still wasn’t happy to let his other papa leave, and Shouichi could hear him sniffling in his head, and he did his best to comfort him as Hikawa took his leave, Yukina and Shouma peeking out of Hikawa’s pockets long enough to sleepily wave. Even Yuuto seemed sad to see Hikawa go.

There had to be a way to make things work out, Shouichi thought to himself. He couldn’t keep their little family split up like this. The kids had bonded so quickly, and they each clearly missed whichever papa they weren’t with every day.

_I’ll do what I can so we can all stay together_ , Shouichi silently promised, trying to project a mental image of all of the babies playing in the garden, while he and Hikawa sat on the porch, keeping watch over them.

Shouichi had to admit, he found the image as appealing as the children did.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also a birthday gift to franzfan23! You wanted some cute date fluff for Shouichi and Hikawa, and I am happy to provide the content! :3 I hope you like it!

“Ozawa-san you won’t believe this!”

Ozawa barely glanced up from the screen when Hikawa took a seat beside her. “Hmm? What, did Agito find out where you live and show up with a bouquet of flowers and an offer to court you?”

Hikawa frowned. “What? No. Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“Hikawa-kun, you trusted me with the knowledge of your baby Agitos. Do you really think I’m going to go blabbing secrets to everyone?” Ozawa asked, finally looking at Hikawa. “I don’t know if I should feel insulted or not.”

“Sorry…but…well, I just wanted to make sure, since it’s not about me. It’s about Tsugami-san. I went to get more vegetables from him yesterday, and _he_ has two little babies, too! One is the same form Agito-san had last time, and the other is a little G3! I thought you would be interested…but it’s so bizarre, don’t you think? I mean, why would Tsugami-san have a little Agito and a little G3?”

Ozawa just stared at Hikawa as he continued to babble.

The same form Agito had when they’d gone and boned in the woods (Ozawa had been the recipient of far too much information on that part, Hikawa deciding to share all of the details of his and Agito’s tryst). And a G3.

She knew Hikawa was dumb, but was he really _that_ dumb? The answer was incredibly obvious. Ozawa was a bit surprised to think of Tsugami as Agito, but, well, he _had_ acted as G3 once. He was a competent fighter, if not a little…odd. Perhaps it had all been an act, so no one would suspect the truth.

“Mako’s a cute little kid, though. He really seemed to like me,” Hikawa continued.

“Mako…to?” Ozawa asked. Partly because she wasn’t certain if it was just the kid’s nickname, but partly because…well, good lord, it was _obvious_!

“Huh? No, just Mako,” Hikawa said, looking a bit confused. “Tsugami-san helped me name my two, since I can’t exactly wait forever for Agito to name them with me.”

_Except he kinda **did**_ , Ozawa thought, smiling and nodding and making the appropriate sounds as Hikawa told her the names, trying to not scream in frustration when he said Shouma’s name. _Isn’t that kind of…both of their first names together?_ she wondered, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. Hikawa was a great teammate and did his job well, but…god, he was a detective, and this stuff was right under his nose, and he just wasn’t making the connection! 

She was so tempted for a moment to bring up these very obvious coincidences, but…at the same time, was it really her business? Tsugami could have perhaps pressed the matter a bit more, unless he didn’t want Hikawa to realize the truth. Could that be it? No, if that had been the case, then surely he wouldn’t have let Hikawa see the other babies. No, most likely, he felt that he couldn’t live up to Hikawa’s Agito hype…and since she’d had to listen to plenty of it firsthand, she understood. It was a shame, though…Tsugami seemed nice enough. And, even if Hikawa hadn’t realized it yet, they’d had four children together. They should just get together. Or at least make an attempt to get to know each other better.

Once the thought entered her head, she couldn’t stop thinking about it, and for the rest of the day, she slowly began to piece together a plan. It was pretty brilliant, she thought.

And with luck, maybe it would get Hikawa to open his eyes and look at what was right there in front of him.

*

“Huh? A purse snatcher?”

Ozawa nodded, accepting the cup of tea that Shouichi offered her. “It’s becoming a real problem, and we just don’t have the manpower for it _and_ tracking the Unknown. Some neighborhood watch leaders have been raising a fuss lately, since it’s been happening in and around a busy park. It’s a popular date spot, and of course there are lots of single mothers bringing their kids to the playground, since it’s summertime. I think they’re worried that it could escalate, or…well, they just don’t want their neighborhoods looking bad. It’s a nice area, so this person must be figuring that everyone’s rich. I understand the concern, though, and at least several of the mothers are going out in groups with their kids and being extra vigilant, but, well, it would be nice to put an end to this.”

“Huh. I haven’t heard about that,” Hikawa said. Beside him, little Mako was making grabby-hands at the plate of apple slices on the low table, and Hikawa leaned forward to pluck one from the plate and give it to him. Mako chirped happily before taking a bite, content to lean against Hikawa’s leg while they all conferred.

Did Hikawa likes apples, Ozawa found herself wondering. The other kids were happily gorging on slices of fresh vegetables, but Mako seemed to prefer the apple slices. And he’d been all but glued to Hikawa’s side as soon as he’d taken a seat on the couch.

It was kind of cute, she had to admit. And it was also so freaking obvious that Mako was his. The other one, too…Yuuto, she recalled. They were all like a strange, oblivious family. Well…Hikawa was oblivious. The kids surely knew who was who. They’d been delighted to see one another, Mako had taken a seat next to Hikawa, and Yuuto had even carried a cookie over to hold out to Hikawa when Tsugami had brought everything out.

Yup, Hikawa was the only one who didn’t know what was going on. 

“So…why are you telling us about this?” Hikawa finally asked. “I mean…Tsugami-san isn’t an officer, so he can’t really do much.”

“I was thinking it might be a good idea to send someone undercover,” Ozawa said. “It’s not just a park for children, a lot of people go on dates there as well, so it wouldn’t look suspicious if we take that angle.”

There was silence for several moments, and Ozawa sighed. “What I’m proposing is that you two pretend to be on a date, but also keep an eye out for anything suspicious, so we can hopefully at the very least get some more clues about this purse snatcher. Best case scenario, you actually catch the guy. Worst case, we’ll have at least tried to scope things out, plus you can bring the kids along. Make a day out of it.”

Hikawa and Tsugami both stared at her, and she sighed. “What? I think it’s a great idea. I’ll be your backup, obviously.”

“I don’t know,” Hikawa murmured. “Will the babies understand what’s going on and understand that they can’t run off?”

“They’ve done a good job of it so far. You have Yukina and Shouma in your jacket pockets just about every day at work, except for when they’re in the G-Trailer during fights. They’ve known to not show themselves or run off, right?”

“I think it’ll be all right,” Shouichi finally said. “I trust them to be good…and, well, I don’t mind helping out if I can. It’ll be nice to have a day out for a change.”

“Great! Then…we’ll meet tomorrow morning, at ten. I’ll set you both up with mics in case you get separated and need to communicate, or if you need to contact me.”

The babies chittered excitedly, seeming to realize that they would be going on a little adventure the next day. Shouichi didn’t seem at all phased by it, but Hikawa was left blinking in confusion, wondering how he’d gotten bamboozled into this idea.

*

The next day, Hikawa wasn’t certain why he felt a bit nervous. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d been on a stakeout, but this one would have a civilian involved, and their kids. He didn’t understand why Ozawa had insisted that Shouichi be there for this. And he couldn’t help but worry that the kids would wind up lost, just because…well, the outdoors were very big, and surely very enticing to such small children. For a moment, he thought it would be helpful if the kids had human forms, if for no other reason than it would look much more normal, and then he could keep an eye on them.

What should he even _wear_ on this fake date? He couldn’t even remember when he’d last been on a date…plus they’d be outside, and the weather had been getting steadily warmer. And he needed something to carry Yukina and Shouma in. He hated the thought of wearing a suit jacket when the temperatures would be steadily climbing all day, but, well, he didn’t really have anything else. He’d compromise with a T-shirt underneath it, at least, and hope for the best. 

He felt foolish when he arrived to meet up with Ozawa and Shouichi, and Shouichi was wearing a T-shirt and loose shorts. “Huh? Hikawa-san, you look kind of formal.”

“I needed something with pockets,” Hikawa said with a shrug.

“Oh! That’s not a problem…come look at this!” Shouichi said, tugging him into the living room where Ozawa already sat waiting. On the low table sat a…bag of some sort, with quite a bit of mesh, a handle, and a strap so it could be carried like a purse or messenger bag. “I think this is made for those little tiny dogs that people seem to like nowadays…but it’s a good size for all four of the kids, don’t you think?”

Yuuto poked his head out of the top, waving to Hikawa. “Isn’t it kind of easy to see into, though?”

“I put a little blanket in there, too. If anyone gets too close or too nosey, everybody can hide under it, and I can just say that Fluffy is taking a nap or something. It’s a lot easier and more comfortable than jacket pockets, especially today. It’s supposed to get pretty hot, and this is ventilated nicely. And!” Shouichi picked up a fanny pack. “I can bring a bunch of snacks along in this.”

It was actually pretty intelligent, Hikawa thought to himself. Shouichi was taking this seriously…and Yukina and Shouma climbed out of his pockets to try out the new contraption that Mako and Yuuto were inside. There were excited clicks and chittering sounds coming from with the carrier once they were all inside, and Hikawa couldn’t help but smile.

Ozawa cleared her throat, bringing attention back to the whole point of their gathering, and they were outfitted with tiny mics tucked beneath their shirt collars. She showed them how to use them—Hikawa already knew, of course, but he didn’t do much undercover work, so it had been a while. 

Ozawa had brought her own car, so she could arrive at the park separately, so Shouichi climbed into Hikawa’s car, holding the wriggling carrier with the kids in it, fanny pack belted around his waist.

It was sort of cute, Hikawa thought to himself. 

“Sorry that Ozawa-san dragged you into this,” Hikawa said, when they were on their way. “Surely you have better things to do with your day…”

“No, no, it’s fine! The laundry’s all caught up, and I just cleaned the house yesterday. I probably would have been a bit bored today, honestly…and it’ll be a good time for the kids to spend a little time together. They seem to enjoy hanging out with one another,” Shouichi said, glancing at Hikawa, wondering if he’d thought about this situation at all since they’d last met. Maybe he’d just been startled by the appearance of two more babies, but…god, surely it was obvious! Even Ozawa-san had given him a few pointed looks when she’d first come by this morning, before she’d huffed in frustration and gone ahead and asked Shouichi if he was Agito. He’d been startled, but, well, she was smart. He trusted her. So he’d nodded. 

_”Maybe it’s none of my business, Tsugami-san, but…I think you should tell Hikawa-kun. He doesn’t show it, but I can tell he’s kind of depressed about this. He’s so infatuated with Agito, and he’s interacted with you so many times and hasn’t even realized that you're him! It’s got to be rough on the kids, too, being all together with both of you, and then having to split up again.”_

Shouichi sighed softly. Ozawa had hit the nail on the head, but Hikawa just wasn’t getting it, and it was really depressing him. He could put an end to this right now, just tell him “I have Mako and Yuuto because I’m Agito,” but…what would happen then? Hikawa would probably crash the car out of shock.

Or worse…he would laugh, because why would he believe that Shouichi was Agito? That would definitely hurt the worst.

So Shouichi didn’t say anything, just held the carrier a bit closer, hearing several wordless concerns pop up in his mind, and he quickly reassured the babies that he was all right.

They arrived at the park a short time later, and Shouichi was surprised he hadn’t seen it before. It wasn’t exactly within walking distance, and it wasn’t as though he had a reason to go to a park in the first place, but it looked nice enough. There was a large, busy playground, walking trails, a huge pond in the middle of the grounds where it looked as though you could rent small rowboats, and there were a few food stalls and benches.

Hikawa glanced around as they got out of the car. “So…where should we even start looking? This place is huge.”

“Well…we can just walk around for a bit, and see if anything looks suspicious, don’t you think?” Shouichi suggested, walking around the car and slipping his arm through Hikawa’s.

“Wh-what are you..?” Hikawa stammered, his face flushing a dark red.

Oh, this would be _fun_ , Shouichi thought to himself. “We’re supposed to be here on a date, remember?” he said, keeping his voice low. “So we should probably look the part, right?”

“That’s right, Hikawa-kun,” Ozawa’s voice came through. “Keep it looking believable.”

The babies giggled and squirmed around, trying to get comfortable now that Shouichi had the carrier hanging off his shoulder, but also doing their best to look through the mesh panels so they could see outside.

This was going to be so much fun!

* 

They walked around the park, getting a better idea of the layout, and they each kept an eye out for anyone that looked unusual, but…Hikawa thought that _they_ were the most out of place. They passed many couples, several of them of the same sex, but they were _real_ couples. He and Tsugami-san were just playing pretend; that was what it boiled down to.

It was too bad that Agito-san wasn’t there, Hikawa thought to himself. Then he would surely be acting more natural. But, he considered, a human walking alongside of Agito surely wouldn’t look all _that_ natural, would it? Maybe he would at least be able to act less nervous. Why was he feeling nervous? It wasn’t even a real date.

“Ahh, it’s getting hot,” Shouichi said after a while. “Oh! They’re selling ice cream over there! How about we take a little break from our stroll and have a snack? My treat.”

Upon hearing the word “snack”, the babies suddenly piped up with questioning chitters, and Hikawa couldn’t help but laugh. They all ate so heartily, and very frequently; where did it all _go_ , he wondered. He knew human babies needed plenty of nutrients at an early age, so surely it was the same for these babies. They enjoyed their veggies, though, and Shouichi had brought quite a bit along…and it _was_ getting pretty hot. “There’s a bench over by that tree…I’ll go save it for us,” Hikawa offered.

Shouichi grinned, then, unexpectedly, leaned in to kiss Hikawa’s cheek. “You’re such a darling,” he teased, watching Hikawa’s face slowly go red. “Here, can you take the carrier? I’ll be right back!”

Hikawa was left totally puzzled, the carrier’s strap slid onto his shoulder without him even having noticed. Shaking his head—and trying not to think how it had been kind of nice, feeling Tsugami-san’s lips on his cheek like that—he headed for the bench, sinking down onto it and sighing in relief. The nearby tree blocked out most of the sun, so they would be able to enjoy their rest without winding up with a sunburn.

Shouichi came back a few minutes later, carrying three ice cream cones. “Ah, I didn’t even ask what flavors you like, Hikawa-san! I got vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry…take whichever one you want.”

Hikawa chose the vanilla, frowning at the remaining two cones. “Why did you get three? There’s only two of us.”

“Well…one for the babies to share, of course! It’s too bad they don’t make ice cream out of vegetables…that would be good, don’t you think?”

Hikawa definitely did _not_ think so, but he just took a lick of his ice cream to keep from saying so.

Shouichi whispered to the babies, then asked Hikawa to unzip the carrier. He glanced around, hoping nobody would be around to see them, but this spot was fairly quiet, despite the shade, and he unzipped the top of the carrier. 

The babies popped their heads out of the top of the carrier, making pleased little noises at the breeze that had the tree branches swaying. Even with the mesh, that bag had to be a bit warm, Hikawa figured. 

“Here,” Shouichi said, holding the strawberry cone out to them. “You four can share this, ok? It’s a nice summer treat that will help cool you off.”

They looked at it quizzically, almost looking as though they were sniffing it. Then, as one, they all leaned in and took a big bite of ice cream. 

And promptly started shrieking, falling back into the carrier and rolling around. 

“What happened? Are they all right?” Hikawa asked.

Shouichi kept seeing wordless feelings about their heads hurting and feeling really cold. “Ah…I think…they all got brain freeze from just one bite.”

“Eh? Really?” Hikawa asked, peering into the carrier. “I’ve never had that happen before.”

Yuuto seemed to recover first, peeking back out of the carrier, before taking another bite, getting a bit of the cone as well, chewing on it thoughtfully. Then he began shrieking and fell back into the carrier once again.

Shouichi laughed softly. “Ok, maybe ice cream isn’t the best idea for you guys. Maybe since you’re all so little, it affects you a lot more than it would someone bigger. Hmm…how about some vegetables instead?”

Once their little heads had stopped hurting, they all crawled onto Shouichi’s lap, knowing that the delicious snacks were in the thing around his waist. He unzipped the fanny pack and brought out several containers, doling the snacks out amongst the kids, and soon they were all crunching away happily.

“Ah, my cone’s starting to melt!” Shouichi said, licking at some of the ice cream that was beginning to dribble down the side of the cone.

Hikawa didn’t know why he was watching him so intently, and why it made him think of…other things…maybe because of that inexplicable fantasy he’d had? Trying to push those thoughts aside, he finished the last of his cone, then took a lick of the strawberry one, not wanting to let it go to waste.

Then he heard a sound of alarm from Shouichi, and his cone tumbled to the ground. “Oh…here, do you want the rest of this one..?”

The first thing he registered as he glanced at Shouichi was the look in his eyes. Then he noticed the man standing behind him…standing far too close, he realized. And then he saw the glint of a gun pressed against Shouichi’s back. 

“Gimme your wallets. Both of ‘em.”

As much as Hikawa wanted to pummel this guy—this has to be the purse snatcher Ozawa-san had mentioned, and things had indeed escalated to include a gun—he didn’t dare, not when there was a gun to Shouichi’s back. “All right…just take it easy. I need to stand up to get mine out of my pocket. Tsugami-san, where’s yours?”

“Side pocket of my shorts. The right side,” Shouichi said, sounding…surprisingly calm for the situation.

“Hurry up. Get ‘em out and lay ‘em on the bench,” the man demanded.

And then he yelled in pain, and went toppling over.

Instinct took over, and Hikawa cleared the bench, grabbing the man’s gun hand and pressing a certain spot until he yelled again, dropping the weapon. Hikawa then easily yanked the man’s hands behind his back, grabbing his cuffs and snapping them on the man’s wrists.

Then he noticed Yuuto standing on the ground, making angry noises, his little hands curled into fists.

“Tsugami-san,” he said, nodding toward Yuuto.

Shouichi glanced down, shifting off the bench to scoop Yuuto up. The other kids had jumped into the carrier when Hikawa had tackled the robber, and now they peered out curiously.

_Did you do something, little one?_ Shouichi asked Yuuto, as he slid him back into the carrier, silently telling the others to get in, because now surely people would be alerted to the goings-on.

He saw a mental image of Yuuto punching the man in the shin, very hard, and Shouichi couldn’t help but smile. _You protected us, didn’t you?_

_Bad man won’t hurt papa._

Shouichi heard Hikawa calling for Ozawa, saying that the purse snatcher had been apprehended, and her incredulous response, before saying she was on her way, and she was calling a car for transport. 

He smiled, sending a mental hug to Yuuto, zipping the carrier closed and preparing for the chaos that would surely ensue when the police arrived. _You’re such a brave little boy. I’m making all of you a nice treat when we get home._

They all seemed quite excited about the prospect.

*

“Eh? Yuuto did?”

Shouichi nodded, glancing at Yuuto, who was happily noshing on his plate of mushrooms, the other babies enjoying their own feasts featuring their favorite veggies (and, in Mako’s case, an entire sliced apple). “Yup. Punched him right in the shin, and that distracted him long enough for you to arrest him.”

Hikawa reached over, patting Yuuto’s head. “That might have been dangerous…but then again, I doubt anyone would have expected a tiny Agito to punch them in the shin. You did a good job.”

Yuuto looked absolutely delighted, somehow.

“You too,” Shouichi said, glancing at Hikawa. “I just froze when that guy jammed the gun into my back.”

“It’s understandable,” Hikawa replied. “It’s not an everyday occurrence, after all. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”

Shouichi nodded, leaning in to kiss the top of Yuuto’s head, before leaning in to press a quick kiss to Hikawa’s lips, hearing him make a soft sound of surprise.

“You’re both my heroes,” Shouichi stated, then grinned. “Let me get you a refill on your iced tea!”

Hikawa just stared mutely after Shouichi as he left the room.

The babies looked between the two, and made soft noises that sounded quite a bit like giggles.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I watched Agito and I'm totally going by memory here about all the Kino stuff, so if it's not accurate, that would be why.
> 
> Also HEY WHADDUP IT'S SURE BEEN TWO MONTHS, HAVE SOME PUMPKIN SPICE.

And then, Hikawa found out Agito’s secret identity. 

He never would have guessed it would have been someone like that, but…well, he looked every inch the cool hero type, didn’t he? 

And now that Hikawa had finally found him, finally had the opportunity to speak to him and tell him everything he’d been meaning to say, he found himself feeling…hesitant. Shy, almost. The man had to already know who he was, if Agito-san had sought him out twice, right? Hikawa kept telling himself that, but he still had a hard time taking that first step, wanting to stop him before he vanished again.

The babies were chittering in his pockets, and if Hikawa hadn’t been so lost in his thoughts, he would have noticed that they sounded different than usual. They sounded afraid.

But Hikawa was oblivious to everything as he finally hurried over to the man and introduced himself. He’d foolishly hoped for some kind of big reaction, but…perhaps any glimmer of recognition was hidden behind the man’s sunglasses. Hikawa learned that the man’s name was Kino, and judging from a phone call he received during their chat, it sounded as though he was a doctor.

The meeting was cut short as Kino drove his motorcycle away, and Hikawa was left a bit in awe.

Kino-san was a doctor _and_ he was Agito?

He was amazing.

Ah…and Hikawa hadn’t told him about the babies. Again.

*

“Eh? You found out Agito’s identity?”

Hikawa nodded rather excitedly, and Ozawa wanted to sigh in relief. _Finally_. It was about time that he’d finally put it all together, and he seemed to be taking things well…

“His name is Kino-san, and…”

Ozawa immediately tuned out, suppressing the urge to thud her head gently against the desk. “How do you know he’s Agito, though? I hate to say it, but you’ve been so desperate to find him, it’s possible you have the wrong man.”

Hikawa frowned. “Ozawa-san, I _saw_ him. I saw him transform from Agito back to human form, so I’m 100% certain.”

That…was unsettling, to say the least. Ozawa knew the truth, and Agito was definitely not this man Kino. Was Hikawa hallucinating now? Or perhaps…was it an illusion? Was it possible that someone out there _did_ know about Hikawa’s search for Agito, and were making it appear that Kino was him?

“I spoke to him a bit, but then he was called away. He’s apparently a doctor, too, can you believe it? I didn’t get a chance to tell him about the babies, though…”

“That might be for the best,” Ozawa finally said. “Until we’re absolutely certain that he’s Agito…”

“He _is_! I saw him drop his transformation, remember?”

“I heard you. But something about this just feels…weird.” _Maybe because I know who Agito is, and that isn’t him._ “How were the babies acting when you were talking to him? Were they trying to get to him?”

“Well…” Hikawa trailed off, frowning. “Now that you mention it…no. They were being very quiet. But…but that could just be because I’ve made sure they understand that being seen could be dangerous.”

“But if he’s really Agito—their _father_ —wouldn’t they have wanted to see him? Surely they want to meet their other father, don’t you think?”

Hikawa opened his mouth, then closed it again, not knowing what to say. “I…I don’t know. I would assume so.” He glanced down at his pockets, where the babies had been uncharacteristically quiet for most of the afternoon. After a moment, there was a little wiggle, and Yukina peeked out at him. “Yuki-chan, what do you think of Kino-san?”

Yukina shook her head from side to side, and Hikawa couldn’t help but feel surprised. “But…but he’s Agito-san, your other father!”

Yukina made a series of loud clicks, shaking her head even harder. 

Hikawa put a hand on his other pocket, and he could feel Shouma’s tiny form trembling beneath his hand. “I…I don’t understand…I saw him…”

“It’s possible that there could be…I don’t know…a duplicate Agito out there. We don’t know everything about the Unknowns. There could be shapeshifters among them, for all we know.” Ozawa frowned. Short of coming out and telling Hikawa that Tsugami was Agito—something that definitely was not up to her to reveal—she couldn’t see how else to dissuade him. “Did he give you a phone number, at least?”

“Eh? Actually…yes. Why?”

“Set up a meeting with him. Somewhere public, like a restaurant or a coffeehouse. I want to be there, too, and get a look at this guy,” Ozawa stated, crossing her arms and frowning deeply. “Maybe it’s nothing, but I have a bad feeling about this guy.”

Hikawa couldn’t help but feel puzzled about…well, everything that had happened that afternoon, but he did as Ozawa had asked, and texted an inquiry to Kino. 

And just like that, he had a meeting with the mysterious man.

But somehow, when the time for the meeting came, Kino wasn’t there, but he somehow knew what was being planned, calling Hikawa’s cell to express his displeasure. And just by snatching the phone from his hand and speaking to Kino for a moment, Ozawa felt even more unsure of who the man was, and what he was up to.

She was quietly relieved, however, that Hikawa wasn’t being played as a fool by the man. And, though neither of them knew it, the babies felt the same. All they knew was that human’s energy was strange and somehow bad, and he had a frightening aura.

At least their papa was safe.

*

And then, Hikawa _really_ learned Agito’s secret identity, and for a moment, he contemplated never showing his face in public again.

Everything suddenly made sense. Why Yukina and Shouma were so comfortable around Shouichi. Why they both loved vegetables so much. Why Shouichi had Yuuto and Mako (although, he realized after a while, he really should have pieced _that_ together a bit faster. Maybe he really _was_ an idiot). He remembered everything he’d said to Tsugami-san, including how the babies had been born from the pure love between him and Agito.

Hikawa groaned, lowering his face into his hands. He’d gone and said something like that, not even knowing he was talking to Agito. God, he’d had that bizarre fantasy about Tsugami-san fucking him. _Had_ it just been a fantasy? Was Tsugami-san projecting his thoughts somehow? The very thought made Hikawa’s face suddenly go hot. 

How in the world would he be able to face the man again?

But the reality was that he _had_ to face him again, preferably the following day, to restock the supply of vegetables for the babies. For a moment, he considered just buying from the supermarket from that point on, but…he couldn’t just avoid Tsugami-san forever. That wouldn’t be fair to the babies. And he didn’t want to give the impression that he was afraid, or that he disliked Tsugami-san.

He didn’t. Did he? 

So the next day, he found himself standing outside the gate, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. And it didn’t help matters when he realized that Shouichi was just a few feet away, having returned from shopping.

And it definitely didn’t help matters when, upon realizing that Shouichi was observing him, Hikawa gave in to his cowardice and fled. Which was ridiculous, since his car was parked outside of the house. He’d have to go back for it.

He managed to calm his pounding heart and, feeling like a fool, went back to the house, where Shouichi was puttering around in the garden. Upon seeing him, Shouichi smiled at him warmly, which made Hikawa feel even more awkward.

“Come on in. I knew you’d be back…here, come inside, and I’ll put the tea on.”

“You don’t have to…”

Shouichi waved his hand. “It’s ok, it’s ok. It gives me something to do. Keeps my hands busy.” He trailed off, and oddly enough, Hikawa saw a light flush spreading across his face. “Keeps me from saying stupid things, too. Ah! Yuki-chan and Shouma-chan!” 

The babies were squirming as they tried to climb out of Hikawa’s pockets, and he could see Yuuto and Mako in Shouichi’s apron pockets. He couldn’t help but smile; of course they wanted to see each other again. They were siblings, after all. And that in itself was such a strange realization…true, Hikawa had had the babies, but Shouichi had also had two more. How did that even work? There was nothing strange and otherworldly about Hikawa, was there? 

There was a light touch on his arm, and Hikawa started, all of his thoughts tumbling like a pile of blocks when he saw Shouichi regarding him curiously. “You look lost.”

“Maybe. I was just wondering how…” Hikawa trailed off, nodding at Yuuto and Mako, who were scampering across the porch, before Yuuto tried to pull the door open so they could go inside.

Shouichi opened the door, and they all headed inside. “I’m not sure, honestly. About all of it. I don’t really know much about Agito. It’s…all kind of hazy, truthfully,” he admitted, heading into the kitchen. “Have a seat, I won’t be a minute.”

Hikawa sat down on the couch, and the babies all scrambled up after him, scaling the piece of furniture like a small mountain. Except for Mako, who seemed unable to follow his brothers and sister; after a few half-hearted attempts to pull himself up, he plopped on the floor, looking as forlorn as a tiny G3 could look. Hikawa leaned down, carefully lifting him up and setting him on the cushion beside him, and Mako directed such an adoring look at him, that Hikawa couldn’t help but smile. 

Yes, he felt rather foolish, not realizing that Mako was his. Between the name, and just his appearance in general? It should have been obvious. But he _had_ been rather taken aback by Yuuto and Mako’s existence in general, so he didn’t want to be too hard on himself. 

Shouichi came into the room a few minutes later, with tea for himself and Hikawa, and the usual plates of vegetables and sliced apples for the babies, and they dug in immediately. 

The room was silent for some time, save the sound of tiny Agitos crunching on their treats. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Hikawa finally blurted. “I mean…I probably should have figured it out on my own, but…”

“Would you have believed me, if I had told you?” Shouichi replied. “The day you saw Yuuto and Mako for the first time, if I had said, ‘I have them because I’m Agito, and through some wonder of Agito biology, I woke up with an egg one morning’…what would you have thought?”

Hikawa frowned down at his mug of tea, but he couldn’t say anything. He knew he wouldn’t have believed it because…well…Tsugami-san couldn’t have been Agito.

Shouichi smiled sadly. “I’m sure I’m not what you envisioned, right? Surely you thought it was someone much cooler, more attractive, someone less…Shouichi-like.”

Hikawa looked up, wanting to say something, but…what could he say? It was all true, and now, he felt awful for having such thoughts. Especially when he’d met Kino-san, and he’d been so pleased that someone so cool and competent was Agito.

Shouichi looked so miserable, as if he were about to cry, and the babies were all making distressed noises, even little Mako, who stood up from where he was sitting beside Hikawa, clutching his half-eaten apple slice like it was a teddy bear.

Hikawa didn’t know what came over him in that moment, as he leaned forward, his hand resting against Shouichi’s cheek, leaning even further across the table until their lips were pressing together.

The distressed sounds the babies had been making suddenly stopped, and something that sounded suspiciously like giggles echoed in the room instead.

Hikawa had wished that Agito was able to kiss him, but he hadn’t considered how it would feel to kiss him. His conclusion was ‘pretty damn nice’ after just a few moments. Shouichi’s lips were pleasantly full and soft, warm and with a faint trace of the taste of the tea they’d been drinking.

Abruptly, Hikawa drew back, realizing that Shouichi hadn’t been responding to the kiss at all, and he suddenly felt as though he’d overstepped his boundaries. Just because he knew the truth now, didn’t mean that he could just kiss Tsugami-san out of the blue like that! “Sorry! I-I…”

“Ah, let me fill the vegetable bag for you!” Shouichi declared, jumping to his feet and snatching up the bag. “I’ll be right back!” He was up and out the door before any of the babies could follow him, and Yukina made small noises of outrage at not being able to help choose what they’d be bringing home, smooshing her tiny hands and face against the glass.

Hikawa leaned back against the cushions. He’d gone and screwed things up, hadn’t he?

A tiny hand patted his leg, and he looked down to see Mako looking up at him, before lifting up his slightly crushed apple slice, as if offering to share it. “That’s all right, little one…that’s yours, isn’t it? You’ve made a little mess, though…why don’t we find a towel and clean you up a bit?”

Mako nodded enthusiastically, hopping into Hikawa’s hands, and he headed into the kitchen, grabbing a few paper towels and wetting them, before wiping some of the mess off Mako’s armor, even as he stuffed the last bite of the apple into his mouth. He’d been holding onto the apple slice when Shoucihi had looked so upset before…had he been worried? Afraid?

Something that sounded like a tiny yawn came from Mako just then, and Hikawa couldn’t help but smile. He knew that Yukina and Shouma usually got sleepy after feasting on their veggies; clearly it ran in the family.

There was a sound from the doorway, and Hikawa saw Yuuto standing there, waving his tiny arms and pointing upstairs. He went over and looked up the stairs, but saw nothing. “I probably shouldn’t go up there…I’m just a guest here.”

Yuuto pointed again, a bit more insistently. When nothing happened, he stomped over to the stairs, grabbing the top of one and trying to pull himself up onto it. He made it up two before he either ran out of strength or energy, and this time the sound he made was more pitiful as he pointed upstairs. 

“Ok, ok…but if I get in trouble, I’m saying it was your idea,” Hikawa sighed, scooping up Yuuto with the hand that wasn’t holding a drowsing Mako, and he climbed up to the second floor. “Now what?”

Yuuto pointed to one of the rooms (and Hikawa was thankful that the door was open, since his hands were full), and he slowly approached the doorway, peering in. It had to have been Tsugami-san’s room, he realized, noting how little was in it. He supposed it made sense, since Tsugami-san was an amnesiac, but at the same time, it was incredibly depressing. What did he even like, besides gardening and keeping house?

Yuuto squirmed, and Hikawa kneeled down to set him on the floor so he wouldn’t fall. He all but ran across the room and hopped onto what looked quite a bit like a miniature bed, before snuggling under the blanket and getting comfy.

Was that their bed? Hikawa suddenly felt very self-conscious about the pet bed he’d had Yukina and Shouma sharing. It was the best he could have done, honestly…Tsugami-san obviously had more skill than him, and much more time…

He moved closer, getting Mako settled in the bed, before tucking them both in, unable to stop from chuckling when he noticed what looked like embroidered vegetables on the blanket. Tsugami-san had gone all out on their sleeping place, hadn’t he?

Tiny sounds of delight echoed from the doorway, and Hikawa turned to see Shouichi standing there, holding Yukina and Shouma, and suddenly he felt like an intruder. “They were tired, and Yuuto was insisting I bring them up…”

Shouichi set Yukina and Shouma down, and they raced across the room and hopped into the bed as well, rolling around in delight. Yuuto made a disgruntled sleepy noise, and Mako burrowed further beneath the blanket. The four fit in the bed comfortably, however, and after a few moments, Yukina and Shouma had drifted to sleep.

Hikawa smiled fondly as he got to his feet. “Yukina and Shouma are going to want one of these now, I think,” he stated, turning slightly, barely able to keep from yelping when he realized how close Shouichi was.

And then Shouichi was kissing him, his hands moving up to tangle themselves in Hikawa’s hair, and Hikawa couldn’t help but do the same to him. Shouichi was definitely kissing him with considerable enthusiasm now, Hikawa realized, and somehow, it was one of the hottest things he’d ever experienced.

The next thing he knew, Shouichi was coaxing him onto the bed, not breaking their liplock even as he climbed onto Hikawa’s lap, their bodies suddenly meeting, and Hikawa couldn’t help but groan softly into the kiss, his hands quickly moving to Shouichi’s hips as he broke the kiss, staring up at him from half-closed eyes.

“Do you want this?” Shouichi breathed, his body rocking lightly back against Hikawa’s.

It was all Hikawa could do, to keep his hips from bucking up against Shouichi’s body, wanting to hear him whimper, hoping to see him lose control. 

Were they really going to do this? Right now? 

“Is it ok to do this here?” Hikawa gasped, feeling Shouichi eagerly untucking his shirt from his slacks, even as his lips moved to his neck, pressing heated kisses along the skin. “I mean…the kids are right there…ahh…and someone could come home, couldn’t they?”

“An earthquake couldn’t wake the kids after their snack,” Shouichi chuckled. “And there’s plenty of time before anyone will be home.” He drew back slightly, meeting Hikawa’s gaze, an attractive rosy flush coloring his cheeks, as he ground himself slowly and deliberately against Hikawa’s lap. “I want to do it, as _me_ this time, Hikawa-san.”

Hikawa’s thoughts suddenly went to that odd fantasy he’d had, and he swore he felt his cock twitch in anticipation. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d wanted it until just that moment, and he opened his mouth to tell Shouichi exactly that.

“I’m home!”

Hikawa’s eyes went wide, and Shouichi’s hand went over his mouth before he could make a sound. They stared at each other then, and so much passed between that one gaze, that Shouichi couldn’t help but smile. “I’m sorry. God…at least it’s Mana. The kids can be around without any worries.”

Mana’s voice had tugged the babies from their slumber, and they began to chitter excitedly, getting to their feet and zooming toward the door.

“Ah! Hold on, you four! Don’t try to go down the stairs alone!” Shouichi called, climbing off Hikawa and taking a moment to exhale shakily, hoping he didn’t look too out of sorts. 

Hikawa sat up on the mattress, thankful that his erection had deflated as soon as he’d heard Mana’s unexpected voice. He wondered if there was any chance of sneaking out without being seen…no, he doubted that was possible. He got to his feet, running a quick hand through his hair, then followed Shouichi out of the room, where he was scooping up Yuuto and Mako, and Hikawa stopped Shouma and an overly ambitious-looking Yukina. “No no, let me just carry you two down. Ok?”

Yukina harrumphed, but allowed it.

A perplexed look crossed Mana’s face when she saw Hikawa following Shouichi down the stairs. “Oh, Hikawa-san, I didn’t realize you were here. What were you two doing upstairs?”

“Ah, I was showing him the cool bed I made for Yuuto and Mako! I bet Yukina and Shouma want one now, too, right?” Shouichi said, grinning when the two made loud affirmative noises.

“We should probably head home,” Hikawa said, suddenly feeling so hesitant to leave. It wasn’t as though waiting around would mean they could pick up where they’d left off, but…

Shouichi caught his gaze, and the smile he gave him had Hikawa’s knees feeling weak for a moment.

Well.

“Oh, don’t forget the vegetables! The babies would be _veggy_ sad if you did,” Shouichi called out, chuckling at his own joke, as he went back to grab the canvas bag full of their goodies.

Everyone was occupied with their thoughts or conversation, and nobody noticed that something inside the bag was wiggling.


	9. Chapter 9

It was a bit later than Hikawa had planned on them getting home, given…well, everything that had happened earlier. At least the babies had gotten a short nap out of it; all Hikawa had wound up with was a bit of frustration, and he couldn’t help but feel surprised at how much he had wanted to do something, _anything_ , with Tsugami-san. The kissing and the teasing touches had threatened to drive him crazy, and just thinking about what they would have done if Mana hadn’t come home early…Hikawa felt a shiver run through his body, and he thought he might need a shower before bed tonight. A nice, long shower. He needed to work off some of that frustration, or he would never get to sleep.

First things first, he needed to get the vegetables put away, and then hopefully get the kids wound down enough so they would go to bed. 

Hikawa scooped Yukina and Shouma out of his pockets and set them on the floor, and they took off running as he hung up his suit jacket and slipped his shoes off. He then headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge, and began to unload the vegetables from the bag. Tsugami-san was incredibly generous; the bag was nearly overflowing with fresh vegetables, and even though he’d said that he didn’t need to be repaid, Hikawa wanted to do _something_ for him. 

Yukina and Shouma were suddenly at his feet, watching his every move intently, and Hikawa sensed that they would be wanting a snack by the time he was through. He smiled to himself, then made a soft puzzled sound as his hand closed around something…odd. It didn’t feel like any of the vegetables he’d taken out thus far, he thought, lifting it out.

And his eyes immediately widened in surprise as he realized that it was Mako that he was lifting out of the bag. “Mako..? What…did you sneak into the bag when no one was looking?” 

Somehow, he thought Mako looked pretty pleased with his little trick, and Hikawa sighed softly. “Tsugami-san must be worried sick. I have to bring you back.”

Mako made a series of frantic noises, squirming in Hikawa’s grip until he managed to wriggle free, and Hikawa yelped as the little G3 leapt down to the floor, landing perfectly on his feet (like a cat, or a very tiny gymnast, Hikawa thought, seeing Mako lift his arms when he stood up straight after landing).

And then he, Yukina, and Shouma took off.

“Ah…wait!” Hikawa yelped, chasing after them, but they were much smaller than he, plus there were three of them . They led him on a merry chase, before they wriggled beneath his bed, conveniently in the one spot where they were just out of reach.

“Come on out of there, you three,” Hikawa said, trying his best to sound stern, but not frightening. “It’s not right to make Tsugami-san worry like this. Surely he’s noticed that Mako-chan isn’t there.”

His phone rang at just that moment, and he dug it out of the pocket of his slacks, seeing Tsugami’s name on the screen before he answered. 

_"Ah, Hikawa-san? This is going to sound strange, and don’t panic, but…"_

“You can’t find Mako, right?”

_"Huh? How did you know?"_

“Because the little scamp stowed away in the bag of vegetables, and now he, Yukina, and Shouma are hiding under my bed, refusing to come out.”

_"Ah…here, give me your address. I’ll be there as quick as I can."_

Hikawa rattled off his address, and they both disconnected. Hikawa laid back on the floor, peering into the darkness beneath his bed, seeing the occasional glint of little Agito (and G3) eyes. “You three are being very naughty, you know. Tsugami-san is going to be here soon. I hope you’ll listen to him better than me.”

Barely five minutes later, there was a knocking at Hikawa’s door, and he got up from the floor, dusting himself off as he went to let him in.

“They’re still hiding?” 

Hikawa nodded, sighing. “I don’t know if they’re playing, or what’s going on, but they refuse to come out, and I can’t reach them where they are. I don’t really want to push them out with a broom, but if we have to…”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Shouichi said, as Yuuto poked his head out of his pocket, looking around curiously.

Hikawa led Shouichi back to his room, trying not to think about them both being in such close proximity to a bed. Now wasn’t the time. He sat on the floor, Shouichi following suit, and they both laid on the floor, peering beneath the bed.

“It’s so dusty under there…don’t you vacuum?” Shouichi asked.

Hikawa huffed, feeling slightly offended. “Of course I do! Just…maybe not under the bed. Not every time, at least.”

“Hmm.”

Anything else Shouichi had been about to say was cut off when Yuuto darted under the bed, immediately going over to his siblings, and a serious of chitters went up from all of them, as if they were having a discussion.

“Good…maybe he can convince them to come out,” Hikawa murmured.

After just a few moments, Yuuto plopped down on his butt next to the others, and Hikawa sighed. “Or not.”

Shouichi closed his eyes. _What’s wrong? Mako, why did you sneak out?_

Mako’s thoughts were cloudy with tears, and Shouichi could definitely hear tiny sniffles coming from where the babies were all huddled. _Because! Because Mako is just like Hikawa-papa. Mako’s different from everybody else…_

Shouichi felt a swell of sadness in his heart, listening to Mako’s distressed thoughts. He’d never considered that Mako might be feeling like an outcast, just because he was the only baby with the G3 form. 

_Mako doesn’t like when Hikawa-papa has to go, or when Yuki and Shouma leave. Mako wants all of us to stay together._

The others were sitting close to Mako, hugging him and holding his hands, and Shouichi had to blink back a few tears. _I want that too, honey. Believe me…I’m going to try my best to make that happen._

_Promise?_

Shouichi managed a small smile. _I promise. So don’t cry, ok?_

“Tsugami-san?” Hikawa asked. He’d been so quiet for several minutes, not moving at all…he hadn’t fallen asleep, had he?

Shouichi sat up, and Hikawa was surprised to see his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “What’s wrong? Are they ok? Are _you_ ok?”

Shouichi nodded. It was sweet of Hikawa to worry about him. “Mako-chan loves you a lot. He’s a G3, just like you, and he wants to stay close to you. He…didn’t want you and the others to leave, so he snuck into the bag.” A grin crossed Shouichi’s lips as he got to his feet. “They don’t want to be separated, so…looks like I’ll be staying here until we can work something out.”

Hikawa stared at him blankly for a moment, his eyes slowly widening as the full implications of Shouichi’s words finally hit him. “H-hey, wait a minute, I don’t have room for another person here…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, your bed is big enough for two, isn’t it?” Shouichi teased, watching Hikawa’s face flush. “And your whole apartment could probably benefit from a good cleaning. Now…I doubt it’ll coax them out, but I’ll slice up some vegetables for them for a bedtime snack.”

Hikawa felt like his head was spinning, but he couldn’t exactly argue, not when all four of the babies were camping out beneath his bed, refusing to leave. He couldn’t kick Shouichi out with such a weak argument about his living space not being big enough. It was just…everything was very sudden, and his mind was still whirling over everything that had happened earlier, everything that was happening _now_ , and everything that could very well happen later. 

When Shouichi returned with a small plate full of sliced vegetables (and an entire sliced apple for Mako), he knelt beside the bed hesitantly. “I’d just slide the whole thing under the bed, but…”

“It’s dusty. I know,” Hikawa sighed.

Shouichi set the plate on the floor, and before either of them could react, there were tiny blurs as the babies grabbed handfuls of veggies, before retreating to their hiding place. He was glad to see the apple slices going first; clearly Mako’s siblings were trying to cheer him up by offering him his very favorite food. And, having seen the bowl full of apples on the counter in Hikawa’s kitchen, that had answered the lingering question Shouichi had never voiced. Apparently Mako took after Hikawa in more than just appearance.

They both watched the tiny blurs come back for more, slowly but steadily emptying the plate. For a moment, Hikawa had considered trying to make a grab for whoever was snatching up the vegetables, but seeing how quickly they moved had him thinking that it would be a fruitless endeavor. Surely they would come out when they were ready. Right? Were they going to sleep under there? 

He got up and went out to the living room, retrieving Yukina and Shouma’s bed, and brought it into the bedroom, setting it near the foot of the bed. “I don’t know if you guys will come out or not…probably not…but here’s your bed, just in case.”

Shouichi smiled. “I’ll definitely have to see about making another bed for Yukina and Shouma.”

“Hey…”

“I mean…if there are going to be sleepovers, they need something big enough for all four of them, right?” Shouichi added. “Speaking of sleepovers…mind if I borrow your shower? I didn’t get a chance to take one before I realized Mako was missing.”

“Oh…um…of course,” Hikawa said, struggling to his feet and showing Shouichi to the bathroom, after fetching an extra towel and washcloth from the tiny linen closet outside of the room. 

Hikawa went around, making sure the front door was locked, and he paused before plugging in the nightlight in the living room, as he usually did. Just in case the babies _did_ venture out while he and Shouichi were asleep. The kitchen was somehow incredibly tidy, given the short amount of time Shouichi had been out there to cut the vegetables.

He switched off the lights and returned to the bedroom, noticing that the plate was now empty, so he made a quick detour to rinse it and set it in the sink. He still needed to shower, too, although now it seemed like the long shower option was out, wasn’t it?

But…Tsugami-san was _here_. He’d be sleeping in Hikawa’s bed. Hikawa felt his face heat up at the thought, and sternly told his body to not react. To distract himself, he retrieved a T-shirt and a pair of sleep pants, suddenly wondering if he should have offered something for Tsugami-san to sleep in. 

The thought flew from his head when Shouichi returned several minutes later, his normally fluffy hair still damp, and he was wearing the T-shirt he’d had on earlier, and a pair of boxers.

“I-I can let you borrow some sleep pants or something, if you want…”

Shouichi couldn’t help but direct a teasing smile at Hikawa. “Why? Am I underdressed?”

“No! I just…didn’t know if you’d be too cold…”

“I’m fine. This is what I usually wear to bed, anyway. Ah, the shower is all yours, I’m assuming you wanted to use it, too?”

Hikawa nodded, snatching up his sleep clothes and darting out of the room, hating how flustered he felt. He wanted to linger in the shower, but at the same time, he didn’t want to do that, fearing that Shouichi might tease him about taking too long. And it wasn’t as if he were going to do anything (not now, at least), not with Shouichi _there_ , in his apartment, where he would probably hear every sound Hikawa would make. The walls weren’t that thick, and the bathroom did produce some embarrassingly loud echoes sometimes.

He knew he couldn’t hide all night, and once he’d toweled off and brushed his teeth, he slipped on his sleep clothes and headed back into the bedroom. 

Shouichi was laying on the floor, looking beneath the bed, whispering softly to the kids, and Hikawa couldn’t help but stop and just observe for a moment. Shouichi really _was_ a good father, wasn’t he? Even when Hikawa had been too oblivious to realize it. Plus, the way he was laying…

Hikawa shook his head, trying to push away anything resembling inappropriate thoughts before they got too far. _Not now, not now, just get into bed and get some sleep!_

Shouichi glanced back at him, then got to his feet, brushing at his clothing so he wouldn’t bring anything into Hikawa’s bed, before he turned down the covers and crawled into bed. Hikawa was thankful that Shouichi had scooted over, leaving plenty of room on the other side. He switched the light off, a soft glow shining from where he’d left the bathroom light on with the door half closed, in case the babies needed a bit of light, or if Shouichi woke and needed the restroom. 

With that done, he slipped beneath the covers, facing away from Shouichi, taking a moment to get himself comfortable and trying to not think too hard about how close the other man was. This wasn’t the best time for anything like that, he firmly told himself.

“Good night, Hikawa-san,” Shouichi murmured.

His sleepy voice, combined with that closeness, as nearly too much, but Hikawa managed to squeak, “Good night.”

Then he squeezed his eyes closed and tried to think sleepy thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HONK HONK IT SURE HAS BEEN NEARLY FOUR MONTHS SINCE THAT LAST UPDATE

When Hikawa woke at some point in the middle of the night, it took him several minutes to recall what had happened that evening, and why he felt so crowded in his bed. And with the dim light from the bathroom, even with his back now facing the door, he realized that he’d rolled over at some point, and his arm was around Shouichi’s waist. He’d managed to press himself so tightly against Shouichi’s back, it looked as if their bodies were joined together. And he would have immediately pulled back, had it not been for the presence of all four of the babies, who were sound asleep, sprawled across where Hikawa’s chest and Shouchi’s back met.

“Don’t move around or you’ll wake them.”

Hiakwa felt his face burning. Oh god, Tsugami-san was awake! “I’m sorry, I…”

“They crawled up here just a little while ago,” Shouichi continued, as if he hadn’t even heard Hikawa’s apology. “Think this means they forgive us?”

Shouichi’s hand slid on top of Hikawa’s, and he twined their fingers together. “This is nice.”

Hikawa couldn’t help but bury his face against Shouichi shoulder, suddenly feeling so incredibly flustered. He’d had no idea that he was a clingy sleeper, but Tsugami-san didn’t seem to mind. And it _was_ nice. It was very warm, and it was completely absurd, but he suddenly wanted to kiss Tsugami-san, but that would mean moving the babies, and…surely kissing would lead to _other_ things..!

He must have moved slightly, for he felt the babies stirring, and then Shouichi was rolling onto his back, carefully gathering the four of them up, before sliding out of bed and carefully placing them in Yukina and Shouma’s bed. He then lifted the bed and walked out of the room, and a confused Hikawa got out of bed, standing in the doorway to watch Shouichi pause at the couch, setting the bed in its normal spot. They would be much more comfortable out there, wouldn’t they, Hikawa thought to himself, before heading back to his own bed, laying down with a huge yawn.

A yawn that abruptly ended when he felt a familiar weight settle on him, and he opened his eyes to see Shouichi straddling his hips. “Tsugami-san..?”

Shouichi leaned closer, his lips brushing against Hikawa’s earlobe as he spoke. “The kids are cozy and sound asleep in another room. No one will be unexpectedly walking into your apartment. Right? So…we can pick up where we left off earlier, if you want.”

Hikawa nodded so eagerly, Shouichi couldn’t help but smile. Then his lips descended on Hikawa’s, swallowing a soft moan as he slid his fingers beneath the other man’s T-shirt, drawing it upward and feeling Hikawa shiver beneath him. They parted for just a moment so Shouichi could pull the garment off and toss it aside, and Hikawa made quick work of Shouichi’s shirt while they were at it.

“Do you have lube?” Shouichi asked.

Hikawa wordlessly nodded once again, before he half sat up, fingers stretching toward his bedside table, which he could not quite reach. He glanced at Shouichi, who looked far too entertained by his struggle, and said, “You could help me, you know.”

Shouichi slipped off his lap, and Hikawa managed to shift onto his knees, bracing himself on one hand so he could open the drawer and retrieve the bottle of lube. Before he could do more than that, however, he felt Shouichi moving behind him, and then the teasing sensation of a very erect shaft rubbing against him.

“I’ve wanted to do this to you for a while,” Shouichi murmured, his fingers hooking around the waistband of Hikawa’s sleep pants, drawing them down, laughing softly when he quickly shifted and kicked them the rest of the way off. “Ever since that last time in the woods. I couldn’t help myself…I fantasized about it, but instead of Agito taking you, it was me.”

Hikawa moaned softly, remembering the fantasy he’d had in the shower that night. “I want that too, Tsugami-san…please…”

Shouichi smiled as he flipped open the cap on the bottle, pouring some of the lube onto his fingers. “It’s all right if you call me Shouichi, you know. I’d much rather hear you saying that when I’m inside you.” 

Hikawa couldn’t stop himself from whimpering, both from Shouichi’s words, and the feeling of a slick finger slowly massaging his entrance. It was strange, he thought, feeling his cheeks flushing in anticipation…why did this feel so _right_? 

A soft gasp left his lips as the finger began to slowly slide into him, and he felt Shouichi’s lips press against his shoulder. That was what Hikawa had longed for, each time Agito had taken him: even though there was no possible way Agito could have kissed him, Hikawa couldn’t help but wish that he _could_. 

But now he could. Even if Tsugami-san wasn’t transformed at the moment, he was still Agito. That was what Hikawa wanted, wasn’t it? 

Hikawa’s thoughts were interrupted for a moment as he felt a second finger working into him. Already? He worried for a moment that Tsugami-san was moving too quickly, in his haste to get down to business, but the digit went in easily enough, with no trace of pain or discomfort. Had he been that wrapped up in his thoughts, that he’d all but zoned out when he should have been enjoying this moment?

“You’re a million miles away, Hikawa-san…I’m not boring you, am I?” Shouichi teased.

Hikawa sucked in a startled breath as Shouichi nipped at his earlobe, moaning softly as he felt his fingers continuing to work him open.

“You’re still just as eager, even though it’s just me,” Shouichi murmured.

“Just..?” Hikawa couldn’t help but frown, glancing back at Shouichi. “I’m not…I’m not doing this just because you’re Agito. I thought that was all I wanted, at first, but…I…I like _you_ , just as you are, too. The kids love you, you’ve been doing so much for them, and helping me out even though I was too stupid to realize…”

Hikawa’s voice trailed off into a loud moan as Shouichi’s fingers brushed against a spot that nearly made him climax right then. As it was, he felt as though his limbs weren’t cooperating, and he sank into an undignified heap onto the mattress for a moment, hearing a sound come from Shouichi that might have been a soft puff of laughter.

“I want it to be you, Tsugami-san. Ever since…” Since he’d seen that fantasy, which seemed to have been something that Shouichi had been fantasizing, and it should have been impossible that Hikawa had seen it as well, but…nothing was truly impossible anymore, he was beginning to think.

Shouichi shifted behind him, and Hikawa whined as he felt the fingers being withdrawn from his body. Had he said something wrong? 

“Say my name, Hikawa-san. No…Makoto.”

Hikawa felt a pleasant shiver run through his body, both from Shouichi’s words, and from the feeling of the head of his shaft pressing teasingly against him. He tried to shift his hips, wanting to bring him inside, but it was infuriatingly impossible, as Shouichi would shift ever so slightly to keep him from succeeding.

“Please…S-Shouichi…”

That was all it took, and Hikawa couldn’t help but moan as he felt Shouichi pushing into him. It wasn’t infuriatingly slow, yet he didn’t just shove into him impatiently. Perhaps it was a bit faster than he should have gone, but once Shouichi was fully seated inside him, he paused for a moment, wrapping his arms around Hikawa’s middle, slightly ragged breathing echoing in Hikawa’s ears as lips pressed against his neck while his body adjusted.

When Shouichi began to move, it was slow, his hands moving to Hikawa’s hips. Hardly any time had passed before Hikawa was trying to push himself back against Shouichi’s cock, to bring him in deeper. “More…please, Shouichi, go _faster_ …”

Hikawa had barely finished speaking before Shoucihi’s pace quickened, the sound of flesh meeting flesh loud in the room, and Hikawa struggled to keep himself from moaning too loudly, not wanting to disturb the babies.

Shouichi’s hands moved from Hikawa’s hips, sliding up his stomach to his chest, his fingertips plucking and tugging at his nipples, and he couldn’t help the long, low moan that escaped his lips.

God, that was so much like what had happened in that fantasy…was Shouichi doing that on purpose..?

One hand continued upward then, even as Hikawa felt Shouichi press even closer against his body, his shaft so impossibly deep that Hikawa couldn’t help but moan with every thrust. Fingertips ran across his lips in a soft, ticklish fashion, until the digits slipped into his mouth.

Shouichi truly _was_ recreating the fantasy, wasn’t he, Hikawa thought, sucking on the digits, his tongue running over them, groaning as he felt Shouichi’s pace quicken. The hand teasing his nipples dropped down to his shaft, fingers wrapping around his length and pumping him in time with each thrust.

Shouichi’s fingers left Hikawa’s mouth, moving down to his hip once again as Shouichi continued thrusting into him, pumping his cock, his breathing growing increasingly ragged with each passing second. “Makoto…”

The combination of Shouichi saying his name so desperately, along with a well-timed strike to his prostate, sent Hikawa over the edge, his sounds of pleasure loud in the room. It felt as though no time at all had passed before Shouichi was echoing his cries, and Hikawa felt his release shooting inside him.

They didn’t move for some time as they came down, Shouichi’s cock still buried inside Hikawa, his body all but wrapped around him, twitching every so often.

Finally, he slowly withdrew, and Hikawa couldn’t help but collapse bonelessly onto the mattress. His eyes were still closed as he basked in that wonderful post-orgasm haze, and he heard Shouichi chuckle, shifting him onto his back.

Then he felt Shouichi’s lips descending on his length, and Hikawa groaned softly, feeling himself being coaxed to hardness in a matter of moments. He made a soft sound of protest when Shouichi’s lips drew back, then a sound of surprise left his lips, his eyes opening to take in the sight of Shouichi lowering himself onto Hikawa’s cock.

“H-hey…” was all he managed to say, his short-circuiting brain unable to come up with anything further.

Shouichi’s eyes were half-closed, his lips parted as he continued to bring him in. “Don’t worry…I prepped myself already…”

_When_? Had Shouichi been twitching against him not because he’d been coming down from that incredible sex, but because he’d already been getting ready for another round? That was the only explanation Hikawa could come up with…and he hadn’t been lying, either, Hikawa could definitely tell that he was lubed and worked open.

Hikawa managed to move a hand up to Shouichi’s lower back once he was fully seated, drawing him down into a brief kiss. “You’re…very eager,” he murmured, sucking in a sharp breath as Shouichi shifted, then pushed back onto his length, a bit faster than before.

“I wanted to try doing it like this…as me this time,” Shouichi murmured, starting to slowly move. “See which one you like better.”

It turned out to be a very difficult decision to make, and required several more rounds—some of them, where Shouichi transformed into Agito—before they both collapsed in each other’s arms, sweaty and sated, and drifted off to sleep.

*

Ozawa hadn’t expected Hikawa to show up early the next morning, and she _definitely_ hadn’t expected him to be wearing a calf-length puffy winter coat. Sure, it was beginning to get chilly out, but that was over doing it by a lot.

She wasn’t even sure how to bring up his odd wardrobe, and after a moment, that was the furthest thing from her mind, as he unbelted the coat and held it open.

Inside, it looked as though someone had quickly made pockets out of old handkerchiefs and sewn them into the coat. 

The top pockets wriggled, then Yukina and Shouma popped out, giggling.

The next two held Yuuto and Mako.

And then, the final two…a little Shining Form, and a little G3-X.

Ozawa simply stared at the two new babies, watching the G3-X wave to Mako, who was so delighted that he fell back into his pocket.

Finally, she met Hikawa’s rather stunned eyes, and she found her voice.

“For God’s sake, when are you two going to ever use _protection_?!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE ENDDDDDDDDDD, thanks for being patient with me as I had huge gaps in between chapter updates!


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